


Near Miss

by FiredUpAuthor, minnieears



Series: Catastrophe Clones [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I also really hate Pong Krell so this is going to completely bash him every chance I get, I am very bad at tagging, I just really wanted to write about Cody a bit, Kinda, Questioning, References to the Jedi Council (Star Wars), Self-Indulgent, Slow Burn, War, these will change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:28:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 22,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28254669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiredUpAuthor/pseuds/FiredUpAuthor, https://archiveofourown.org/users/minnieears/pseuds/minnieears
Summary: As a Jedi, you are asked to assist with the 212th in order to serve the Jedi Council and Republic. However, you soon realize that the Jedi teachings are not as clear cut as they once appeared. Attachment is difficult to avoid when every day is spent battling for your life alongside your men. In particular, you begin to become attached to one Clone Commander Cody, who time and again manages to show you just how flawed the teachings of your upbringing areThis is a part of my Catastrophe Clones series, you do not need to read the others to understand this story, but if you meet an unnamed woman in this work, odds are there's a story about them which may interest you
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & Original Female Character(s), CC-2224 | Cody & Reader, CC-2224 | Cody & You
Series: Catastrophe Clones [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2040209
Comments: 105
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all!!
> 
> Jus when you all thought I could not possibly add another story to this spider web mess I am creating, I present to you a messy relationship between Commander Cody and a conveniently nicknames young Jedi Knight
> 
> As always please let me know your thoughts :)

I took a deep breath in, allowing the muscles in my shoulders to relax slightly. I felt the wind around me as the open sides of the gunship allowed me to sense the world around me. The Force wrapping its way around the lifeforms beneath me, their lives mixing together with the spirit of the land in such a manner that I could sense just how loved and important this land once was, before the Separatists decided to weaponize it.

I closed my eyes tightly, as we drew near to the command outpost, allowing my senses to reach out towards the four collected force users. Masters Kenobi and Koon’s signatures appeared unusually weak in comparison to one I had only sensed in passing before. A final signature, a much younger one told me that Skywalker had brought along his padawan. I smiled, she was a lovely young woman and I had offered to train her at one point, wanting to take on a padawan of my own. However, Master Yoda had decided otherwise,a decision I accepted without fully understanding. 

My gunship lurched beneath me as I pulled my hood higher, allowing the folds of the brown fabric to obscure my face. We landed abruptly, the shuttle pausing in front of the assembled group. Two commanders stood alongside the Generals, as well as a civilian and a captain.I lowered my hood, allowing my cloak to fall to my feet. The Commander closest to Master Kenobi laughed slight.

“Do all Jedi have a flare for the dramatics,” he chucked, elbowing the man softly. Kenobi smiled. 

“Glad you could join us,” Kenobi greeted, his face dirty from the day. Dust hung in the air heavily around us as I made my way towards the assembled group. “General (Y/L/N).” 

“A pleasure as always, Master Kenobi,” I greeted smiling slightly. The group exchanged looks. “I was pleased to receive your request.”

“(Y/N) will be joining with the 212thm,'' Kenobi explained. “My men are in need of a general who is not tied to the High Council, so she will be taking care of some of the day to day responsibilities of the 212th, since we were unable to secure a Civilian Correspondent.” Behind him a clone dressed entirely in grey turned slightly to face the civilian at his side, Master Plo pointedly looking away from the two who stood slightly away from the others. I had a feeling there was a story there, but decided against asking, knowing that time was of the essence. 

“General,” a clone in golden- yellow armor came to stand in front ofme. He removed his helmet for a moment, revealing a scar which traced along the sharp structure of his cheeks. “Commander Cody, at your service, cir.” I smiled and nodded once. 

“No need for such formality, Commander,” I smiled. “By the end of the day I am sure you will be as sick of me as you are of Master Kenobi.” The clone chuckled, replacing his helmet swiftly. “So where are we in the campaign, I was not briefed on the specifics before leaving the temple.”

The men gestured towards the holotables, the civilian quickly pulling up maps of the area surrounding us. The base in the distance was still shielded, making it nearly impossible for our cannons to do anything other than irritate the enemy.

‘Have we sent scouts,” I asked, looking at the layout for a moment. Skywalker nodded. 

“They found a weakness along the base of the first tower, if we take it down then the shields should go with it, my padawan and I will be leaving momentarily to handle things.” I nodded. Skywalker and Tano made quick work of preparing for their departure, leaving moments later. Kenobi turned to me. 

“I will be coordinating things from here,” he said quickly. “Master Plo and his men will be leading the forward assault.”

“What would you like me to do,” I asked. Kenobi paused. 

“We were not expecting you so quickly,” he said slowly. “The temple informed us that-”

“Yes, my mission on Batuu ended rather suddenly,” I shook my head. “It was a dead end, whoever infiltrated both the 212th and 501st was not hiding there as we had believed.” Kenobi nodded. 

“You can accompany Cody and his men with the assault,” he decided after a moment. “Just leave some droids for everyone else.” 

“Can’t have all the fun, now can I,” I chucked, rolling my shoulders slightly, before turning from the General. I quietly followed Cody towards his waiting men, who all turned to face us.

“Sir,” the men snapped to attention, their form nearly perfect,. The Commander halted in front of them.

“General,” he turned slightly towards me. “Meet Waxer and Boil.” I nodded once. “This is General (Y/L/N) she will be taking over some of General Kenobi’s responsibilities for a time.” 

The men turned to face me, their forms tightening if that was even possible. I laughed. 

“There really is no need for that,” I smiled. “A proper introduction will have to wait until after we win today?” 

“yes , sir,” the men snapped, quickly falling back to receive their commands. I took a deep breath, focusing on my training for a moment. I forced my emotions out of my mind, focusing only on the force. I felt the familiar hum of the crystal in my saber and smiled slightly, the warmth radiating from my hip reminding me that I was not powerless. 

For a moment I thought back to my training. I remembered the words of my master, his warnings against becoming reliant on others. I sighed to myself, remembering his games and insistence on perfection from the clones. I vowed to myself I would not become like him, I would not allow my lack of attachments to turn me cold towards others.

Master Krell had called it my weakness, but I would prove otherwise. 

I opened my eyes moments before the first explosion, the men around me surging forward around me, shouts coming from the various soldiers. 

“Let’s see what you have, General,” Commander Cody laughed, before racing forward. I held my hand out beside me, focusing my energy on my saber for a moment,a s I launched myself into the air. I landed in the middle of a large group of droids, holding my palms out towards them, a blast of pure force throwing the droids in all directions as I ignited my saber. 

“A Jedi,” a droid shouted, redirecting its fire towards me. Smiling to myself I launched myself forward, using my abilities to propel my body harshly forward, slamming directly into one droid as I whirled my wrist towards another bringing my laber clear through its side. 

A commando droid approached me, its shields protecting it from the deflection bolts I sent back towards it, I cursed lightly under my breath. A presence came to stand behind me.

“General, the only way to beat one is to get under the shield,” Cody offered, firing his own weapon at the droid. I nodded once, grateful he had decided to share his knowledge.

“Thank you, Cody,” I smiled before extinguishing my lightsaber, and closing my eyes. Using the force I imagined the droid crushing in on itself, as I slowly clenched my hand, willing the droid to drumple under the pressure. The shriek of metal told me that I had accomplished my goal. Following the display, I refocused the excess force energy and dispelled another croud of droids, launching them backwards into the sparking heap I had just created, a small explosion resulting from my actions. Beside me Cody paused. 

“I can’t say that I’ve seen a Jedi try that before,” he laughed, before firing over my shoulder. I smiled.

“My master insisted on conserving-” I was cut off from a blast which sent me flying forward, my saber flying from my hand as I went. I landed on my knees in front of a tank, its guns lowering to level with my face. I smiled slightly, quickly gauging my remaining force energy for a moment. I had just enough left to manage the feat I was planning, which pleased me. 

I allowed my hand to gently close, holding up my curled fingers so my palm faced the tank. I breathed in deeply through my nose, before opening my palm on the exhale, the energy flowing through me causing the electronics aboard the tank to short circuit, the entire structure crashing to the ground in front of me as I fried the entire circuitry. 

“They have surrendered,” A grainy voice came through comm links. THe men around us cheered, the droids shutting down beside us. I pulled myself to my feet, dusting off the Republic armor I had been issued, its white surfaces already cakes in a thin layer of dust obscuring the stenciling. Behind me someone cleared their throat.

“That was quite the show,” Commander Cody, smiled, his helmet secured under his elbow. I laughed, turning fully, my arms falling fully to my sides as I took in the man fully. 

“Oh, I have nothing on the masters,” I laughed, shaking my head slightly. 

“I wouldn’t say that,” the clone chuckled, his eyes shining brightly. 

“Well thank you,” I smiled. “Though I did nothing in comparison to you and your men.” Cody nodded once, before straightening himself.

“Well, I do have something for you,” he smiled, reaching to his side once again. In his hand he heald my lightsaber. “It appears you lost something back there.” I let out a sigh of relief, quickly taking the weapon from him. Igniting the bright orange blade for a moment to ensure it was still in working order. 

“For saving my weapon I owe you my life, Commander.”


	2. Negotiator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Y'all!
> 
> Happy holidays, sorry this work is a little slow at first, but I promise it will be wildly chaotic soon
> 
> As always please let me know your thoughts :)

Arriving on the Negotiator was relatively simple given the sheer amount of adrenaline pumping through my system. I had opted to stay behind and secure the treaty with the locals alongside master Koon and his men. I had wanted to gain that experience before going to meet my men fully for the first time, as I wanted them to know that I was just as capable as Master Kenobi. 

The day had been my first experience as a full Jedi Knight where i had been tasked with leading a unit and I felt as though I was on top of the world. For the first time since I had fallen into the tutelage of Master Krell, I felt as though I was keeping up and excelling and the sense felt a million times better than I had ever expected. No longer did I feel weak, but rather as a Jedi should. Powerful. I quickly realized I was allowing my emotions to gain control of me and took a moment to compose myself. 

Breathe in through the nose.

Out through the mouth. 

I paused at the door to the bridge, allowing my senses to extend into the room. I could feel Kenobi's presence and smiled. He would likely take the time to introduce me to my men. 

Our men, I reminded myself. I smiled, realizing this was my moment to make an impression. 

Using the force, I shoved both doors inwards, the crash resounding across the bridge. I smiled to myself, pleased I had managed to make the assembled men jump in surprise.

“General on deck,” someone shouted, the clones snapping to attention as I walked briskly across the open floor.

Master Krell had always taught me that your first impression would be what dictated the level of respect you deserved from the men around you. I squared my shoulders, allowing my robed to flow behind me and I walked towards Kenobi and the Commander, who had both turned to face me. 

“Ah, (Y/N),” Kenobi greeted with a slight smile. “Always have had a flare for dramatics.”

“I could say the same about you, Master,” I smiled, bowing slightly to the man, who simply chucked. 

“Well since we are all here,” Kenobi smiled, he gestured for me to come stand beside him. Using the intercom holosystem to display both of us across the ship.

“Good evening gentlemen, Kenobi greeted, his accented voice ringing with sincerity that caused me to pause. Master Krell had taught me that the Generals were not close with their clones and held them at arms length. I had been under the impression that Master Kenobi did not view his men as anything more than tools. I pushed the thought from my head. 

“This is Jedi Knight, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), she will be joining us as General of the 212th alongside me. Please afford her the same respect you have shown me.”

“Thank you, General,” I smiled. “I look forward to getting to know all of you over the coming weeks.” The transmission ended and Kenobi turned to me, his smile faltering slightly. 

“Normally, I would personally see to your adjustment to command, but I have been called away to Corouscant, so I will leave you in the capable hands of Commander Cody,” he appeared apologetic and I smiled slightly. Already kenobi had shown me more kindness than I had ever experienced in my time with the Jedi. 

“So,” I turned to Cody and smiled as warmly as I could muster, noting for the first time that he was significantly taller than me. For some reason that threw me off for a moment, even though I had worked with clones before and knew their height. Cody smiled bacl at me, gesturing to me to walk with him.

“As I said earlier, it is a pleasure to serve under you,” Cody smiled. I chuckled ast the suggestiveness of the formality.

“The pleasure is all mine,” I winked. The two of us exited the bridge and began walking doent he long narrow corridors of the Negotiatior. 

“So,” Cody spoke casually now, his demeanor significantly more relaxed now that we were off the bridge. “What is your experience with the war thus far?”

“Well, I was serving as Commander of the 375th under General Krell-”

“General Krell?” Cody paused, his steps faltering for a moment before he composed himself. “He is a brilliant strategist.”

“You do not need to walk on egg shells with me, Commander,” I shrugged. “I am more than aware of his reputation and the reason his casualty rate is so high. I do not intend to treat you or your men in such a callous manner.” Cody visibly relaxed at my words. 

“I’m sorry, sir,” he said simply. “Us clones are aware of the type of leadership General Krell utilizes, although we have not had the opportunity to experience it first hand.”

‘Consider yourself lucky, Commander,” I laughed. “He is a difficult man but a brilliant Jedi.” Cody nodded. 

“I should probably inform you then, that we have received orders that he will be joining us on our campaign on Umbara in three rotations time,” Cody appeared to study my face for a moment, as I fought to control it. I nodded once. 

“I see,” I said slowly. “Was Master Kenobi aware of this?” 

“Yes, he is the one who volunteered to host the General,” Cody said slowly. “He had informed me that you would likely know what was necessary to prepare for his arrival.”

“Oh yea, of course,” i said, suddenly feeling my anxiety rise. “Please excuse me, Commander. I will need a moment.”


	3. Conversations with Cody

Perhaps one of the best parts of my time as a Jedi was the meditations. There was something incredibly peaceful about taking tome to simply relax my body and mind and reach out in the force to see the world without my eyes. As I sat in my quarters I began exploring the signatures of those around me. Each clone, while physically identical, was completely unique in the force. 

There were clones who shone as beacons of hope.

There were clones who were deeper, with more secrets. 

But there was one who stood out to me so vividly, my own force signature was drawn to him immediately. I found myself exploring every aspect of the completely unguarded man. His sense of humor was a bright hue alongside his sense of duty. In stark contrast there was a deeply rooted vein of love that was the obvious core of his presence in the force. 

Never before had I felt so drawn to an individual and if I was being honest with myself, I should have been more scared. This individual was like a dyad to myself, every aspect of the signature directly mirroring or contrasting my own. I vowed in my meditations that I would find this individual and get to know them.

My master had always taught me that when a presence in the force spoke to you, you must work towards finding it and using it to deepen your own relationship with our greatest gift. 

I opened my eyes after what only felt like moments for me, but was likely hours of meditation. I stretched slightly as I rose from my mat. My robes had somehow managed to stay relatively unbothered by my position, much to my relief. 

Slowly, I used the force to guide me back to the Bridge, barely noticing as I passed by large crowds of watching clones. Absently, I focused on my mission to make my way back the the Bridge in order to being preparations for the arrival of Pong. I was already dreading his arrival and the absolute nightmare it would be to both protect my men and appease the difficult Jedi Master. 

I sighed as I returned to the bridge, my mind at ease finally after the troubling news of my Master’s arrival. I was pleased that the meditation had worked so well, allowing me to think ahead to our battle to protect Umbara from invasion. 

Umbara was a difficult planet, as there had been rumors as of late that they would soon secede to the Separatists. The Republic was growing concerned of their alliances and had even gone so far as to begin investigating their Senator.

However, Umbara had essential supplies for the war effort, making it a high value target for invasion. While their alliances were unclear, there was one thing that was absolutely certain about the planet. 

No matter what we managed to do there in this campaign, we would wind up back there.

The story of Umbara was only just beginning. 

“Sir,” Cody greeted coming to stand beside me, as I reentered the Bridge. I smiled fondly at the clone, actively choosing to allow him to keep his thoughts private for the time. I had been assured that the Commander was the best of the best and chose to respect him by allowing him the privacy many Force users simply could not give their companions. “May I speak to you privately for a moment.”

“Of course, and please call me (Y/N),” I said softly, turning to follow him. Cody strode with purpose across the bridge, leading me into a small conference room just off to the side. I had trained for the last year of my apprenticeship in a room incredibly similar to this one. The white walls bringing back memories of intense training sessions which had nearly brought me to tears.

I could still hear my Master's voice correcting me as I feared to dual wield. His anger washing over me as a memory trapped within the force. 

I shook my head slightly, attempting to clear the thought. 

“I wanted to ask about your reaction to the General’s arrival,” Cody said slowly. 

"Commander, I was simply surprised that another General was being called to work alongside the 212th," I said simply, attempting to smooth over the conversation. While I already was beginning to trust the man, I did not necessarily want to fill him in on the inner workings of the Jedi. 

“I did not mean any sort of comment on your leadership abilities.” I smiled slightly at this. 

“Commander, you did nothing wrong in informing me of the imminent arrival of my once master,” I chuckled. “I actually appreciated the warning more than you will ever know.” 

“Sir,” Cody said softly, removing his helmet to reveal his face once again. I paused for a moment before composing myself. Silently I reminded myself of my trainings. I pushed any thoughts of his physicality from my head, as I had forced myself to do so many times before. 

“Not all masters and their padawans have the same relationship as Master Kenobi and Knight SKywalker,” I explained, attempting to simplify the complex relationship between myself and my Master. “Sometimes the pairings are a bit more explosive.” 

“You do not need to tell me more if you are uncomfortable, General,” Cody said quickly, sensing my discomfort with the subject. “Perhaps I can reach out to General Kenobi-”

“That will not be necessary, Commander, “ I smiled slightly. “Master Krell and I disagree on many matters, including many aspects of the war. I was just surprised to have him assigned to my unit so soon after my arrival.” Cody paused at this. 

“Sir, General Kenobi requested it, he believed that you may be uncomfortable assuming command so quickly. General Krell is only meant to lessen your responsibilities on this first assignment.” I smiled at this.

“That was very kind of him,” I said slowly. Mentally, I cursed. Kenobi was a good man but a bit niave even by Jedi standards. “Commander, while I appreciate your concern, I am not upset about the fact that my Master was called in to assist. However, we will need to ensure that certain preparations are made in order to prepare for him.”

“Just give the word, General,” Cody smiled. I rolled my eyes slightly, before I caught myself. 

“When we are having a private conversation. I am not a General,” I said with a sigh. “Please, can you call me my name?”

“THat goes against protocol.”

“Humor me?” 

“Maybe,” Cody shrugged. “I would have to-”

“Nevermind,” I sadi sighing. So much for making friends with my Commander I suppose. He was so by the rules it hurt slightly. "We will need to ensure that all men are in complete regulation equipment." 

"Consider it done," the Commander chuckled slightly. "Anything else?"

"He is going to address you by your number," I said slowly. "He is also not going to listen very much to your commands. My orders are to override his at any point." Cody paused at this for a moment but nodded once, showing he understood.

"You may speak your mind," I said, watching as Cody collected himself. The clone shook his head. 

"It is not my place-"

"Commander," I snapped, interpreting him. "Something I hope you will learn very quickly about me is that I do not respond well to individuals who withhold information from me. If this conversation does not prove that to you then you should wit until you witness a fight between my Master and myself." Cody paused at this. 

"I am just surprised," Cody admitted.

"You will find General Krell is incredibly task oriented," I said simply. "He tends to forget that some people still have feelings."

"This should be fun then," Cody laughed. I smiled, momentarily noticing that the force presence I had felt earlier was reaching out to me again. My eyes met Cody's once again and I began to question what exactly I had signed up for.


	4. Krell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year Y'all!!
> 
> As always please let me know your thoughts :)

Every day I found that the singular Force presence was growing closer to me. I was becoming obsessed with the idea of finding the source fo the comfort but had been unable to find time to meditate in the presence of the few I believed could possibly be the source, 

I found that when I was not obsessing over the Force signature, I was caught up in the war. General Kenobi and his men were in the middle of every single aspect of the war. There was a lot to learn. 

Cody was nearly always at my side, providng me support at any given moment and never once attempting to question me on my abilities. Tried as I might to avoid attachment to the man, I quickly found that I wanted to spend more time with him. Often times, I would go out of my way to seek him out in order to get to know the Commander better.’

He was a very private man, choosing to speak only when he needed to. Despite this, he was incredibly funny, his dry sense of humor highlighting just how ridiculous some of the situations we found ourselves in to be in. Cody was also very knowledgable as to the regulations of the GAR and would often fill me in on them as we went, ensuring that I was aware of my responsibilities as well as his own. 

Overall, I found I quite liked it with the 212th, the mundane responsibilities I had taken on from General Kenobi were not overwhelming in comparison to some of my previous responsibilities under General Krell. 

The only major issue I had with my new position was the ever present looming of my Master’s arrival. I found myself nervously pacing around the command ship as we awaited him, three days after my arrival with the unit. Commander Cody stood beside me, his armor freshly scrubbed, As I paced past him, he placed his hand upon my shoulder gently.

“General,” he stopped me in my tracks. “If you continue pacing like this you are going to wear a hole in my ship.” I laughed, pausing at his request.

“Your ship,” I questioned raising my eyebrow lightly. Cody smiled, his hand still gentle upon my shoulder. Once again the calming presence in the Force reached out to me, wrapping my body in its warmth and ensuring me that I would be alright. I allowed the comfort to vertake me, soothing all of my muscles. 

“General,” Cody smiled again, as my eyes opened. I was leaning into his touch a bit more than was casual, but decided I did not care much. “You have quite the flare for dramatics, did you know that?” 

“It’s the Jedi way,” I shrugged, laughing slightly at his observation. “You have met General Kenobi, you should have realized this sooner.” Cody laughed at this.

“You have him beat,: Cody assured me. “Ever the drama queen.”

“Just call me Queenie then,” I smiled. Cody nodded once at this. 

“Yes, sir,” he said in mock seriousness. I rolled my eyes slightly, appreciating the easy conversation with the man. Through the Force I felt my Master’s presence before he had even docked with the ship. Walking across the hangar, I took another deep breath.

“Commander,” I said softly. “Remember our conversations about the General.” Cody nodded. 

“Yes, General Queenie,” he smiled, causing me to snort slightly. I was saved from responding by Master Krell disembarking his ship. The large man came to stand in front of me, his arms resting behind his back. 

“Master, it is good to see you,” I greeted, inclining my head slightly as a form of respectful greeting. The man nodded in response. 

“Your men are disorganzied,” he commented, looking around the busy hangar. I bit my tongue at this. 

“Master Krell, we are in the process of preparing for landing, things will be squared away in a few moments,” I attempted to keep my irritation out of my voice. Krell simply nodded. 

“Always an excuse.”

“This is my right hand, Marshal Commander Cody,” I gestured towards Cody at my side. Krell appeared disinterested. 

“At what point are you actually goifn to lead your men,” Krell snapped, instead of greeting Cody. I turned to Cody.

“Commander, please go tell the others that they will need to begin preparations for our decent to the Dark Planet,” I gave Cody a look, letting him know I needed a moment alone with Krell. Cody nodded once. 

Krell continued to survey the hangar, his eyes never resting on a single space for more than a moment.

“I expected more from you, (Y/N),” he said simply, still not looking at me. I sighed, knowing that we needed to have this conversation quickly

“You will not disrespect me in front of my men,” I snarled, my lip curling in anger. 

“I am training you,” snapped Krell. “I will respect you when you earn my respect.”

“I stood the trials, Master, I do not need you to train me further,” I snarled. “I am a Jedi Knight, your purpose to me has been served.” 

“You are a fool,” Krell snarled. “If we had the time I would ask you to preform your forms since obviously you have fallen away from the teachings of the Jedi.” 

“I learned from the best,” I snapped. “Or have you forgotten about the fact that you failed to inform me that the healing techniques you once taught me drew upon the darkness?”

“This is not the place to question me,” Krell snarled. “Which ship will I be using?”

“You will be on my personal command shuttle, since your own is no linger fit for flight,” I snapped, looking at the damaged piece of machinery taking up space in my hangar. 

“See to it that you don’t allow the clones to nearly kill us,” he snapped, walking away from me. “Your Commander lacks discipline.”

“I will leave you for dead,” I snarled before catching myself. 

There was no need to turn back to that time to deal with my Master, I reminded myself.


	5. Krell's Influence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think is going to happen next!

Our landing was abrupt to say the least, clones all but lunging out of the ships and towards the advancing droid armies. I hung back for a moment, allowing Cody to come to stand on my right. 

“Commander,” I turned to face him. “I want eyes in the sky, now.” 

“Oddball, you heard the general,” he snapped into his comm link.

“Full parameter, we are going to push them back to the bridges,” I continued watching as one of my men, whose name I was unaware of fell. “Take no prisoners.”

“Yes, sir,” Cody saluted, running ahead ot inform the garrison. I turned to Krell behind me. 

“Master, you have two options,” I began. THe man simply held up his hand at me, causing me to pause on instinct. My master smiled at this. 

“You do not presume to give me orders, Padawan,” he snapped. I snarled at this, my hand twitching towards my lightsaber. I called upon my trainings under Master Yoda, focusing on suppressing my emotions, as I had been taught since childhood. 

“Fine, would you rather take communications or lead the troops,” I snapped, deciding there would be a better time to argue with the man. Krell simply nodded.

“I will lead from here and ensure we maintain a connection with the Admiral,” he decided. I nodded at this, secretly pleased I would be able to lead my men without his constant interference. I turned from him, jogging towards where I had last seen Cody. Beside me a tank began firing upon the droids, causing scores of them to explode upon impact. 

I reached Cody, however, he was too busy ordering the men into position to notice my presence. I cleared my throat. 

“Prepare to advance,” I said, my voice mixing with the sounds of blasterfire. Cody turned to me, his bucket concealing his face, though I sensed that he was relieved at least slightly to see me. 

“General,” he greeted. “WE are ready for your word.”

“Master Jrell,” I snapped into my comm link. “Have you established-”

“Yes,” he snapped, not allowing me to finish. 

“All units, advance fire,” i snapped. Around me the men began surging forward. Cody remained at my side. I turned, igniting my saber before turning to him. 

“I got your six if you got mine,” I offered. Cody laughed at this.

“Whoever trashes more clankers has to write the report,” he countered. I rolled my eyes at this. 

“Never challenge a Jedi to a gamble,” I laughed. “We always win.” THe two of us began racing forward. Calling upon the force I launched myself into the air, grabbing onto the side of Oddball’s ships.

“Some warning next time, General,” he laughed, saluting me. I nodded, returning the gesture before throwing myself backwards off of the wing. 

THe will of the force is with me, I thought as I plummeted, catching myself at the last moment. Without pause I began tearing through the droids, slashing my blade through droves of tan droids as I worked ahead of my men.

Calling upon the force, I was able to predict the trajectory of the blasters, successfully deflecting each one back at the troops. Cody reached my side momentarily.

“Forty six,” he said simply, firing towards the advancing platoon. I smiled.

“Forty nine,” I ground out, deflecting yet another blaster fire. In the distance I could see more republic tanks approaching and I smiled. We had successfully cleared a path between our unit and the 327th.

Cody and I moved in unison, continuing our path until there was a big enough gap we could advance towards the command. Aayla, as she often encouraged me to call her, stood beside her commander and his civilian contractor. 

“General,” I greeted. “It is good to see you.” Secura laughed, extinguishing her blade as we approached. 

“Congratulations on receiving a command,” she smiled. “I see that the 212th is better off serving under you.” Beside her, Commander Bly was waving over a woman, I paused for a moment before remembering that they had received one of the Liason’s from Yggdrasil. I believed her title was Eir, if my understanding of the Empire was to be believed. The woman was incredibly cheerful upon her approach, offering me her hand before turning to face Cody as well. 

“They are falling back,” she confirmed to the assembled group. “However, we have lost contact with General Krell.” I groaned at this, causing Secura to shoot a look at me. She was aware of some of the difficulties I had experienced throughout my apprenticeship.

“General Krell,” I tried on my comm link. There was no answer. I turned to Cody who simply shrugged at me. AS I opened my mouth to respond to him, a loud explosion sounded back the way we had come from hundreds of my men racing towards us. 

“Waxer, Boil,” Cody snapped. “What is going on?”

“General Krell is issuing orders to move into the city,” Waxer fell to attention. “He has taken command given that General (Y/L?N) is missing. I moved slightly, watching as Boil realized I was not in fact missing. 

“I will be back momentarily,” I snapped. Already moving back the way I had come. Cody remained with the others, as I raced back towards the command shuttle. I was hit with a sudden flashback to the last time I had seen Krell in battle. The bodies of his fallen clones still haunted mel some months later. He had slaughtered his unit, despite the success of the mission. 

Reaching the command post, I slowed. Krell did not turn to me as I approached, instead looking towards the mission. I grabbed the comm channel, reconnecting the downed line.

“All units, fall back, secure the bridges and maintain our line, I want no damage on the capital,” I snapped. The men immediately began to retreat, securing our position. Krell turned to me, rage emanating from his form. 

“General Krell, you directly went against my orders and willfully broke with the chain of command,” I snapped, my tone shifting. “I will be reporting this to the council.”

“Tell me, Padawan,” he sneered. “Do you really think the counsel will take the word of a new, questionable knight over a master?”

“The counsel is aware of your weaknesses, Master,” I responded, eyeing him. “They will not take kindly to another lapse such as this one. Krell said nothing, simply straightening his form. 

“You will not tell the counsel,” he said, his force signature passing over my own. As always I attempted to fight it, but found that I could not break with his will. Mind tricks do not typically work on Jedi, but in my foolishness I had given Krell power over my abilities early on in our training. 

Despite everything I had done to distance myself from the man, I found that I could not disobey a direct order. I simply nodded, my head bowing. 

“I will not tell the counsel,” I said quietly.


	6. Force Projection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter took quite a turn from the initial plan, but I am super proud of the outcome, so please enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

The rest of the campaign was painfully dull. In the end it was determined to be a Republic victory. It took the majority of my concentration not to harp upon the fact that Krell had very nearly slaughtered my men. I worked quietly, allowing General Secura to make the majority of the plans for the future protection of Umbara. We would need to ensure a peaceful future if the planet was to remain an ally of the Republic. 

As soon as my duties were completed, I returned to the initial command center. I found that Krell had reestablished communications with the admiral. We did not speak as I observed over his shoulder. 

“You are being requested back at the Temple,” I said simply, my tone robotic. “The Master’s are calling our victory here today an act of heroics.”

“As my actions tend to be,” Krell said simply. I refrained from answering, knowing that I had nothing remotely kind to say in response. 

“They are saying upon your arrival you will receive your new battalion,” I continued. Krell nodded at this. 

“Your thoughts betray you, Padawan,” Krell was not looking at me as he spoke, instead looking towards the approaching men. “Your tendencies towards attachment will be your downfall.”

“I have no attachments, not anymore,” I responded, attempting to push away the memories. I would meditate upon my pain at a later date. Krell simply scoffed at this. 

“That Commander,” he continued despite my denial. “He is incredibly similar to the one- what was that ridiculous name you called him?” 

“His name was Commander Havoc,” I snapped. I pushed my friend from my mind again. 

“Ah yes, Havoc, a shame what happened to him,” Krell simply smiled. “With that, I will be leaving.”

“May the Force be with you,” I snapped, feeling as though my world was crumbling around me. Krell left without returning the sentiment, a great insult among the Jedi. 

Soon after I joined Cody on the shuttle, our short journey back to the Negotiator silent despite the obvious joy around us. I began to think back to my previous command, when I had served as commander under General Krell. My control over my abilities began slipping and I felt the familiar tingle in my fingertips return. 

I nearly ran from the shuttle upon landing, informing Cody I needed to return to the Bridge. He appeared to sense my discomfort and allowed me to leave, promising to meet me once all was secure. I scrambled through the ship, my feet leading me blindly towards the Bridge and the safety it provided. 

I was grateful to find that it was empty upon my return. I did not hesitate as I dropped to my knees, my hands folding into my lap. Around me, reality shifted and suddenly I was back on the battlefield. 

“Padawan,” Krell’s voice snapped me to attention. THe blue lightsaber in my hand was the only source of light in the dark cave. Around me I could hear my men. My own personal subunit of the once 384th Attack Battalion. We called ourselves the Firecracker Unit. 

“Yes, Master,” I responded to the comm link. In my memory, I could sense my closest confidant Havoc standing resolutely beside me. He placed his hand lightly on my shoulder, knowing how tense my Master often made me. I smiled at him. 

“Return to the battle, immediately,” my Master sounded furious. I groaned. 

“Master, the General escaped through the cave system. My men and I-”

“That is an order, Padawan,” Krell snapped. 

“No,” I responded, turning off my comm link. Beside me the men chuckled nervously, knowing better than to question me. 

“We continue deeper,’ I snapped. Havoc chuckled next to me. 

“He’s going to kill you,” he laughed. I simply shrugged at this.

“Nothing I haven’t dealt with before,” I responded. In my memory the scene shifted again to the most recent punishment I had received at the hand of Krell. My body was still sore from the absolute beating I had received at his hands. 

We continued forward, my senses telling me that the Separatist General was nearby. Havoc gestured to the right. Scream and Stinker flanked us to the left as Arrow and Val took the right. We approached the opening slowly.

We had just barely entered the cave when the overhead rocks began to shift. The planet was not a particularly tectonically active one and the earthquake came as a surprise to all of us, but we chose to ignore it seeing the General without any protection.

“Surrender,” I snapped, igniting my blade and levelling it at the man. The enemy glared at me as the ground shook again. 

“Commander,” Havoc said slowly. “The readings for that earthquake are off the charts.”

“We will return the way we came once I have surrender,’ I snapped, eyeing the general. 

The next shake of the ground sent my entire unit sprawling. My body landed hard against the far wall, away from the rest of my men. I had barely begun to pull myself to my feet when I heard the first crack. In a moment the entire cave crashed in upon itself. I heard my men scream as they were crushed beneath the rocks alongside the General. 

I screamed as I forced myself from the FOrce memory, my entire consciousness feeling as though it had been wrung dry. Cody stood before me, his eyes wide. 

“General,” he sounded scared or at the least concerned. “Are you alright?” I simply nodded. Cody continued to watch me. 

“Just a Force vision,” I attempted to play it off. Cody shook his head. 

“I saw it,” he said simply. I sighed.

“A regrettable consequence of my abilities,” I sighed. “I suppose I owe you an explanation.”

“There’s-”

“No, I have an ability called Force Projection,” I explained simply. “I am able to project memories and thoughts through the Force. At times I can even make visible representations of my memories. Especially, when a memory is particularly charged, like the one you just witnessed.”

“That was Havoc,” Cody’s voice was carefully measured. “You-”

“Yes, I am the reason he died,” I said sadly. “I killed my men through my own arrogance.”

“It was an earthquake, according to the official reports,” Cody corrected. I nodded at this.

“Yet as my Master will likely tell you, I was the reason the five best men in the squadron were underground in the first place.” Cody nodded at this. 

“General, I would like to ask you about what happened back there,” he asked, the mood shifting slightly as men began assembling around us. “It would appear as though our communications were sabotaged.” 

“It is a complex issue,” I responded, weighing my options. I could sense that Cody had a lot of questions for me, that require much deeper explanations than I had given anyone other than Havoc. “It would be easier to simply show you.”

“Sir?”

“I can show people what it is I need them to see through manipulating the Force. If you trust me, I can show you what happened on Umbara and what led to the communications issues. As well as answer your questions about my training and experiences in battle prior to joining you and your men.”

“Thank you, General,” Cody smiled slightly. I nodded once, turning on my heel and leading the Commander towards a side room. I trusted him enough to see what I had experienced, but I did not wish to share my knowledge with the entirety of the Bridge,

As it was I was risking Cody and his trust more and more with each passing moment.


	7. Berries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> I hope you are all enjoying this work as much as I am enjoying writing it! Starting in two weeks I will be having an official update schedule for this work so please keep an eye out for that!
> 
> If you are looking for more clone content, I now officially have seven works in this collection as well as three sister stories linked in my profile which I would highly recommend taking a look at :)
> 
> As always, please let me know your thoughts in the comments :)

I quite enjoyed working with the 212th and found that even upon Obi Wan’s return I was still receiving the same respect I had gotten from the first day. After the first few days I began working towards the creation of a squad of my own. SImilar to my Firecrackers. 

With Obi Wan’s blessing, I asked Cody, Gregor, Waxer, Boil and Longshot to serve personally alongside me in a reconn unit. The men all agreed without hesitation, agreeing to working on additional missions moving forward. 

It was Cody who eventually chose our name, creating the Firestorm Squad. He felt that I had chosen two of his most trigger happy men and their legacy was to be honored in our name. 

Following Umbara, I had shown Cody what I had seen Krell do. He was rightfully cautious of the General but agreed that we could allow the incident to live in the past so long that he sisd not potentially endanger other troops. 

If I were to summarize the first month with the 212th, I would call it paradise. For the first time in my life with the Jedi, I was able to fully make my own decisions and determine my own course. 

The newfound freedom agreed with me, to the point where even the men appeared to see the shift from my baseline seriousness to a more carefree knight. It was Gregor, the madman himself, that actually pointed out that I was the “happiest Jedi” he had ever met. 

I credited the joy to freedom from the darkness of my once Master. 

There was only one portion of my duties which I did not particularly enjoy. The paperwork was overwhelming and no amount of begging would convince Cody to do it for me. 

“I will cover your next patrol myself, “ I pleaded sometime early in the morning. Cody chuckled, shaking his head before putting away yet another one of his own reports. 

“If you stopped complaining and started writing you would be done by now,” he countered, reaching into our charred bowl of dried fruit. I had brought it into the offices as a bribe for his assistance, but instead found that it had led to us goofing off until General Kenobi had commd into us asking for a status report. 

I laughed, tossing my berries high before catching it in my mouth. Cody groaned. Being much more deliberate in his attempts to eat the snack. 

In my opinion, only Sith would eat a single berry at a time. 

Cody tended to disagree. 

“Must you do that,” he rolled his eyes as most of my handful landed on the metal floor beneath us. I shrugged. 

‘It’s fun,” I smiled sticking my tongue out slightly. “When you become a general you can stop me.”

“Your arrogance is rather irritating.”

“You’re the one who asked for further Jedi support.”

Cody sighed at this, moving to check his messages before writing his ninth report of the hour. He smiled slightly at waiting messages. 

“You can’t smile at something like that and not share with the group,” I teased, rising to my feet to come stand beside him. There were two images on the screen, one of a small grey and white bunny and the other of a small child holding the bunny tightly in its hands. I smiled seeing that the bunny appeared just as happy as the child. 

“Who is that,” I asked. Cody groaned, lifting the bowl over his shoulder so I would take it. 

“A friend of mine had a kid back on Coruscant,” he said simply. “And the bunny is one of my favorite creatures in existence.” I laughed, accepting his eresponse and not wanting to pry into Cody’s life outside of the army. 

I was of the opinion, at that point, that so long as it did not cause direct harm to the cause, there was no need to be intrusive upon the lives of the clones. In the past, I had heard stories of certain Jedi going out of their way to catch the men in their units breaking the laws. In particular, I knew that Ki Adi Mundi quite enjoyed finding out about his clone’s affairs. However, I felt that they were individuals just as I was and should be entitled to fair treatment. 

I was certain that the child was likely one of his brother’s, as well as the pet, however, I chose to respect Cody, returning to my seat and continuing my game of catch with myself as Cody wrote. 

“Heads up,” I called over, tossing a rather large fruit towards my friend. Cody did not even look up from his screen, catching it single handedly and pointedly eating it. 

“It’s going to take more than that to distract me, Queenie,” he laughed. I sighed, realizing I would need to pull out the big guns if I was going to continue avoiding my work.

“How is it that you got your scr,” I asked. Cody groaned, catching on to my game. It had become habit for me to ask him about the scar whenever I eas putting something off. Cody never once told me where it came form but the resulting stories never failed to make me smile. 

“I told you I took Commander Wolffe’s breakfast last time right,” Cody asked, still barely acknowledging me. I nodded in affirmation.

“I believe you told me it was a pastry you stole.” 

“Well then, this time I am going with playing with General Kenobi’s lightsaber when he was in a meeting,” Cody snapped. “Now write your reports.” 

“Tell me, is there anyone in the battalion who is particularly friendly, or inviting?”

“Already bored with me, Queenie,” Cody laughed, tossing the fruit back my way. I rolled my eyes at this.

“How could I possibly be bored with you. You talk about procedure, and tactics and procedure, all day,” I laughed. “There is nothing in this universe more interesting to me than hearing about the proper way to clean gear after use in the field.”

“Always start with your helmet,” Cody nodded absently. “Then you move on to-”

“Commander, I’m serious about my question,” I interrupted what would likely be an hour long description of the sequence he preferred when he returned from a battle. 

“General,” Cody matched my tone, finally turning from his screen. “I do not know what you mean.”

“Since my arrival, I have been plagued by a presence in the Force,” I explained. Cody paused at this, his eyes catching my own. I had his interest, as I had intended from the beginning. 

“Plagued?”

“Okay, so that may not be the best word for it,” I conceded. “The presence is incredibly calming to me. I wish to find the source as I believe there is a connection between myself and this presence.”

“You think you have a super secret comforting Force bond with someone on this ship,” Cody groaned. “What is with you Jedi always making things more complicated?”

“I take that as a complement,” I snapped. 

“It wasn’t one,” Cody assured me, turning his chair so our knees were barely touching. I leaned in close, prompting the Commander to follow suit. 

“It’s a warm presence,” I began explaining. “Like a small sun. I have only experienced it a handful of times but it always reaches out to me when I need it most. It balances me within the Force so that I may focus my energies on the light and not on banishing the dark.”

“Have you considered it is simply because you are finally around a proper Jedi,” Cody raised his eyebrow at me. I shook my head. 

“It isn’t a Jedi,” I said softly. “Too pure for that.” 

“Are you looking for my help in investigating this,” Cody asked, smiling slightly. I nodded. 

“It would be helpful,” I agreed. Cody sighed. 

“I will help under one condition,” Cody smiled widely. He brought his hand up to brush along his mysterious scar. 

“Name it,” I said, excited at the prospect of having Cody assist me further. 

“You finish your reports so we can both sign off for the night,” he said quickly. I groaned, throwing my head back in exaggerated exasperation. 

“Fine.”


	8. Sibling Rivalry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> This week's updates are all going to be a bit lighter, because I realized that all of my pics were getting incredibly dark. Please enjoy some fun world building in this chapter and let me know what you think :)

“It’s good to see you,” I greeted the man in the hologram before me. “It’s been a while.”

“Such a cold greeting for your own flesh and blood,” my brother laughed, shaking his head at me. His lanky form made it so he had to hunch in order to appear fully in frame. Having a brother who also was a member of the order made the lack of attachments mandate nearly impossible for me. I could generally push my worry for his safety from my mind, however, looking at him in this moment I could not help but feel a sense of concern. 

My brother was the Jedi equivalent of a Bantha herd. He had the unique ability to never be able to keep track of anything. He was constantly losing things and breaking them once found. It had been an act of the Force that he had even received a Master.

For the life of me, I could not imagine him leading an army into battle, as I was doing. A small part of me hoped that Master Secura recognized the softness to him and kept him removed, at least in part, from the war. 

“All of the Jedi are my family,” I snapped, causing him to roll his eyes. While I knew that I was being harsh, I attempted to fall back on my teachings. Master Krell had always been firm that I was not to favor my brother or show any sort of attachment to him. It was a weakness. “Our genetics are irrelevant.”

“A conversation for another day,” Luca rolled his eyes, gesturing to his own Clone Commander. Beside him both Commander Colt and Commander Bly appeared. Both stepped forward silently, Colt offering a datapad to my brother. 

“I have just returned from a mission alongside Master Windu,” he said, barely looking at me. I nearly groaned. Windu and my brother had a contentious relationship, due primarily to the fact that my brother had not once but twice confused their lightsabers and attempted to take the Master’s instead of his own. “Master Windu wishes to offer you commendations for your victory on Umbara.” 

“It was the victory of my men,” I said simply. “An experience I am sure you will have soon.”

“Unfortunately, I believe it will be some time before I am able to complete my trails,” my brother did not appear saddened by this, but rather pleased. He was comfortable as a Padawan and did not seem to be in a rush to move up within the ranks. I did not feel the need to press him on this. It was his life and if he was destined to learn for a longer period than most it was not my place to question him. “Master Secura has said I need to keep both my sabers in my hands for an entire battle before she will even consider allowing me to stand the trials.” 

“I wish I could say that Master Krell had a similar stance,” I nearly shivered at the memory of how early on I had taken my trials in comparison to so many of my peers. I was young for a knight. The only individual who had achieved this status was the Chosen One himself, Anankin Skywalker. Not that I even held a candle to the impressive individual.

Though that had not stopped my Master from comparing my accomplishments to that of the knight. 

“You really should have informed the council about his treatment of you,” my brother finally looked up, his eyes appearing saddened. He shook his head at me, not understanding why I had always remained so loyal to my Master and his wishes. “They could have helped.”

“I turned out alright,” I shrugged. Behind me I heard the door to my conference room opened. Cody stood in the door, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. I nodded towards him. Deep down I knew that I was stalling on my call with my brother, wanting to have just another moment to catch up with him. I knew it went against my teachings to still care so deeply for Luca. It was difficult to say goodbye, after such an extended period apart. 

“I am saddened that I was unable to join you for the battle,” Luca did not appear to notice my inner conflict. He smiled as he handed the datapad back to Colt. “I haven’t seen you in action since the day you became a Padawan.”

“I assure you that there was not much to see,” I smiled slightly, remembering how I had plowed through the ranks of droids. I attempted to push the swell of my pride down once again. My arrogance was one of my worst traits, a battle I had never quite been able to master, even sinceI had stood the trials. Behind me Cody chuckled, causing all three men in the hologram to look towards him. 

“Commander,” Luca smiled. “I hope my sister is not torturing you too much.”

“Quite the opposite,:” Cody smiled, stepping closer to my side. “She has been an exemplary general.” Luca smiled widely at this. 

“Was it impressive on Umbara,” Luca asked Cody directly. “She always tries to downplay things.” 

“Sir, she single handedly cleared a path between our unit and yours,” Cody smiled. “THe only reason we even saw her was that lightsaber flying through the air.”

“The orange is a bit much,” Luca laughed. 

“Stop exaggerating, Cody,” I said quickly, feeling my own pride swell at the idea of being nearly invisible in battle. 

“See, I told you,” Luca seemed entirely too pleased. “Now you just have to take on a Padawan of your own and then you can be a Master Jedi like-”

“Enough of that,” I said interrupting my brother. I found his faith in me to be misplaced more often than not. I was comfortable with my place in the order. I did not need to take on a learner of my own just yet. After all, I did not want to put someone through everything I had experienced with Krell. 

I thought back to my thirteenth birthday for a moment. It was a right of passage for a Master to present their Padawan with a gift to commemorate their thirteenth year. For many Masters, they would go to extraordinary lengths to secure a gift for their learner. I still remembered watching as my brother received medicinal plants from Master Secura to heal his near constant injuries. She had also gotten him a strap to attach to the end of his sabers, in an attempt to fix his inability to maintain a grip. The two had appeared so pleased in that moment, their bond visible for all to see. 

I had waited all day for Krell to call me to the training rooms. I had even gone so far as to inquire his location from other passing Jedi. He had never called for me. Never once did he even acknowledge the fact that such a significant milestone had passed for me. 

It had taken me three years to confront him about the matter. Though even when asked, my master had simply stated that he did not believe in the observation of such traditions as they took away from the teachings of the Jedi. 

I could not bring myself to train another in such a strict manner, when my own understanding of the Force was so limited. 

“Luca, are you going to be travelling with Star Corps for the time being or-”

‘Yes, I have returned here for a time,'' he smiled. “Can’t keep me off of the frontline for too long.” 

“Glad to hear it,” I smiled. “Be safe, brother.”

“Safe is my middle name,” he snarked in response. Behind him Bly rolled his eyes, causing me to chuckle. 

“Commanders, please keep an eye on him,” I smiled widely. “He is prone to the Jedi teaching of act first, come up with a plan after.”

“Yes, sir,” Colt saluted me. Luca rolled his eyes. 

“May the Force be with you, Drama Queen,” he smiled. Cody chuckled beside me. 

“Please call me after your next mission.” The call ended and I sat back in my chair, with a sigh. Cody took the seat beside my own. 

“I didn’t know you had a brother,” he said softly. I nodded. Slowly, I felt the presence in the Force return, it’s sunny warmth calming my nerves and enveloping me in comfort. For a moment I allowed myself to close my eyes and simply bathe in the comfort. It was such a rare luxury to have such a pleasant presence around me, even if I was still unable to find the source. 

“Luca is my only sibling that I know of. We were brought to the Temple together. He is still a Padawan.” 

“He appeared older than you-”

“Yes, but he still has much to learn,” I said simply, not wanting to speak poorly of my brother. He was an excellent Jedi, he was simply moving at his own pace. “He will stand the trials before the end of this war, of that I am sure.”

“He mentioned you taking on a Padawan,” Cody said gently, obviously curious about our conversation. I nodded. 

“Many of the Jedi believe that I should take on a learner of my own,” I said softly. “I had asked for Ahsoka Tano, however, she had already been assigned to Skywalker.”

“Commander Tano,” Cody whistled low. “She is a very strong Jedi.”

“She is, she has a raw talent in her that I truly felt a connection with,” I smiled. “Though her pairing will serve her well. I believe that she is in good hands.” 

“Do you intend upon taking a Padawan,” Cody pushed further. I shrugged. 

“Perhaps after the war,” I said simply. “Wouldn’t want to put you out of a job now would I?”

“General, with all due respect, no Padawan outranks me,” he laughed, tilting his head back. “Even in title, I outrank next to everyone.”

“Except me,” I chuckled. Cody leaned back in his chair, rolling his eyes playfully. 

“I mean-”

“Hey, “ I laughed, shoving his shoulder. “You can’t talk to your superior officer like that.” Cody pushed me back gently, laughter spreading across his face as we gently pushed one another. 

“I’m just saying,” Cody smiled widely, “I’ve destroyed more clankers than you.”

“You stand the Jedi trials and tell me that you have more experience than me,” I laughed, all but jumping to my feet to stand over Cody. He leaned back in his chair again, his hands coming to rest on my sides as I found my balance. 

“We could test this,” he licked his lips. I found that my heart rate was slowly beginning to rise. Cody appeared to sense my change and leaned in closer. The moment between us began to fill with tension, though not an entirely unpleasant one.

“General, Commander,” Gregor slammed into the room. “Firestorm Squadron has been requested for a recon mission on Hoth.”

“Who is requesting us, Captain” I snapped, immediately pulling away from Cody’s hold. His hands fell back on his arm rests for a moment, before he pushed himself up to stand beside me. 

“General Mundi needs someone to get into the Seppie base and scope out the blueprint for an upcoming invasion.”

“Tell him we will handle it,” I snapped. “Commander Cody, call for the others, we will need to plan.”

‘Yes, sir,” Cody’s voice was gruff as he spoke, causing me to pause for a moment. I pushed the thought from my mind after a moment, realizing far too late that the Force presence had disappeared along with the entrance of Captain Gregor. 

I decided to blame the rising tension between Cody and I on the presence, which always seemed to want to mess with my growing friendship with the Commander.


	9. Hoth

Hoth was absolutely freezing upon our arrival. THe clones had all gathered their cold weather gear, preparing for the absolutely freezing planet. I was bundled in as many layers as I could possibly find but still found the freezing wind to be horrible. I shook as we stood at the door to our planet hopper. The scanners along the roof would be calibrated for larger crafts so we would be dropping in on the base. I took a deep breath.

“We only have one shot at this,” I snapped at the assembled group, attempting to sound as close to a General as I could. “I need everyone to be performing to their highest ability.”

‘Yes, sir,” the men coroused. Cody nodded at me, silently nodding his agreement from my right. 

‘Longshot,” I called to the cockpit. “Stay ready, we are going to be in and out.”

“Roger that, sir,” he called over his shoulder as he lined us up for the jump. I nodded.

“Gregot, you are going to go for the comm tower, take note of everything along the way. I want to know every detail of the hall. Waxer, Boil, you two are to get the drive. Stay with Gregor to the best of your abilities, scout into the terminal. According to our intel it should be fairly straight forward.”

“Anything else?”

“If you encounter danger, you signal for me. This is a simple in and out job, I want no trouble.”

‘Yes, sir,: the three men shouted in unison as they prepared their jumps. The light overhead turned green and the three jumped.

“After you, General,” Cody laughed, coming to stand by my side. 

“Race you to the ground,” I laughed. Without waiting for his response, I launched myself out of the side of the ship. 

“You forgot your-” Coy shouted after me. I chuckled as I tumbled through the air, the freezing wind causing my eyes to water. I stretched my arms out in front of me, allowing my body to slice through the air like a blade. I passed Waxer and Boil, their shouts telling me that I had surprised them with my rapid descent. Gregor on the other hand cheered, attempting to pick up his own pace through the activation of his own jet pack. 

As I approached the ventilation shaft we had marked as the target, I called upon the Force to slow my fall, the collected snow pillowing my knees. Beside me the four clones landed, their jetpacks allowing them to stay on their feet. Cody grunted at me, clearly irritated with my display.

“You could have told me that you intended on using the Force to save yourself at the last moment,” he snapped. “I truly thought you were going to die.”

“Can’t get rid of me that easily,” I chuckled. Together Waxer and Boil pulled back the edges of the vent, making just enough space for them to drop in, followed closely by Gregor. Cody paused.

“What exactly is our role in this plan,” he asked. I shrugged. 

“We’re the distraction,” I smiled widely. “Obviously.”

“Obviously,” Cody groaned. Together we moved across the roof, coming to stand along the edge. Beneath us, the droids were pacing. 

“What’s our play,” Cody asked, gripping his blaster tightly. I shrugged. Planning had never once been my strong suit. 

“I din;t think about it,” I said. COdy groaned. 

“What do you mean-”

“Halt,” a voice came from behind us. I paused, raising my hands over my head. Cody threw his head back in irritation, following my lead. 

“Your plans may be worse than General Skywalk-”

I laughed quickly, before three more droids approached, all pointing their blasters at us. With a flick of my finger all of the weapons flew from the droids hands.

“Hey,” one intoned. Cody took his cue and immediately began destroying the droids. His capable hands tearing their heads clean off of their bodies quicker than I could fully process. The last droid stumbled backwards as he approached, still gripping the sparking body of one of the others. Rearing back with his arm, he slammed the body down upon the droid. 

Watching him destroy the droid so effortlessly, caused a sudden surge of humor rise within me. I doubled over, gripping my stomach as I laughed. My entire body shook as I hysterically attempted to gain control over myself once again.

“What could you possibly be laughing about,” Cody snapped, turning to face me, his new winter gear smeared in oil. Chuckling I straightened up, wiping under my eyes to prevent any freezing.

“Commander, that might just have been the most ruthless thing I have ever seen,” I chuckled again. “I never expected that from you.”

“We are engineered for violence, General,” Cody sighed. “It;s literally my nature.”

“It was amazing,” I laughed. “YOu truly lived up to the reputation.”

‘What is our plan,” Cody asked. I could all but hear the eyeroll. I shrugged.

“We’re the distraction,” I said, looking down over the edge of the roof. “We need something big.” 

“A Jedi suddenly appearing should be enough,” Cody said. “Give them a chase.”

‘Too obvious,” I sighed. ‘I really should have thought about this more before we got here.”

“We’ll lament your poor planning when we are comfortably back on the Negotiator.”

“IT’s a date then,” I laughed, handing COdy my lightsaber. Hesitantly, he took it.

“Why-”

“I’m going to get captured,” I said with a shrug. ‘Hang onto that one for me.”

“This one?”

“Just watch and learn,” I smiled, leaving back over the side of the roofing. I did a tumble as I fell, once again smiling as the wind whipped at my face. The feeling of free fall would never get old. The droids scrambled as I landed, pulling blasters on me. I held my hands up.

“I surrender,” I smiled widely, watching as the droids paused. THey had not expected this. 

“Uh, General, we have a Jedi here,” one comm’ed their leader after a moment. I waited patiently, my hands stretched within clear view. “What should we do with her?” 

“Bring her to me,” the voice of General Grievous came through. “I will handle it.” I was roughly shoved forward through the halls. The droids formed a protective barrier around me as I worked. 

They led me deep into the base, away from the tower I had sent the others to. My comm link beeped at me and I quickly activated the tracking beacon, knowing Cody would use it when the mission was complete. I followed silently alongside the droids, making sure that I was clearly as non threatening as possible 

I was lead into a main control room, the droids fanning out alongside me as the General turned.

“A child,” the thing couched as it approached me. It placed a metallic hand on my chin tolting my head up so it could observe me. I snarled in response, irritated by the tight grip on my chin. 

“Could you at least cover your mouth when you cough,” I snapped, pulling my chin away fully. The thing laughed at me, rearing back to all but throw me against the far wall. With a snarl I lunged to my feet, using the Force to throw the General back before the droids were grabbing at me and forcing me to my knees again. 

I was in way bigger trouble than I had initially thought, I realized watching as the General rose once again. Thinking quickly, I opened my comm channel to the open frequency, hoping someone was close enough to see how dire my situation was.


	10. Failure is an Option

The General turned to face me, his metallic face levelling with my own. He did not speak, simply watching me. Through the Force, I could sense an incoming danger. I nearly chuckled, realizing that I was sensing Cody receiving my transmission and realizing that I was without plan and likely in trouble. 

I was pleased to note that I was able to pick up on his emotions more often as our partnership progressed. I still could not read him, but I could tell whenever he shifted between emotions, especially when the shift was rapid like his current one. 

“A Jedi without a lightsaber,” he said simply, eyeing me. I glared, suddenly regretting leaving it with Cody. With a sigh, I realized reaching my shoto was going to be incredibly difficult. I attempted to rise fully, but the droids around me made that significantly more difficult than I had anticipated. The comm on my arm blinked twice at me and I smiled, my message had been received. 

“Now, who are you,” Grievous snarled, his weirdly human eyes watching me. I simply shrugged.

“Now, that is a loaded question,” I chuckled. “The great search for one’s identity is truly the heart of-”

“Enough,” he snapped. “Where is your lightsaber?”

“Don’t have one anymore,” I smiled. “I heard a rumor you like them so I gave it away-”

“Search her,” the General snapped at his droids. I groaned, calling upon the force as I threw myself into the air. I landed on the holotable in the middle of the room with a loud crash. From outside, I could sense my clones drawing closer. With a small grunt, I jumped again, climbing the side of the wall up towards the secondary observation deck. Behind me, I could hear Grievous skittering across the floor, clearly caught off guard by my acrobatics. 

I quickly pulled my shoto from my side, igniting the miniature lightsaber quickly. It was not ideal, but would do the job. The bright green blade shone in contrast to the dark bay. Silently, I reached into the Force, asking for assistance in guiding my blade in the coming battle, as Krell had taught me. I had never been particularly skillful in short form combat, but I was hoping I could hold my own just long enough to make this mission a success. 

“Ah,” Grievous lunged over the side of the railing at me, four blades igniting as he launched himself in my direction. I managed to counter them, suddenly grateful for Krell’s own double staffed technique and my familiarity with battling off four ignited sabers at once. 

The two of us began our dance, clashing together rapidly, only to fall apart as we dodged the hurdles of the room. From the base floor I heard the sound of heavy footsteps as Cody and the men stormed the room. Moving quickly, I flipped over the railing, as Master Yoda had taught me, and drove my shoto through the head of one of the droids. Cody paused for a moment, laughing slightly. 

“Why am I not surprised you have a second one,” he chuckled. 

"Planning may not be my forte, but I would never be caught without a weapon," I responded, watching as Grievous approached. The men all opened fire on him, I shook my head at them.

“Retreat,” I snapped towards the men. They all nodded, quickly scrambling backwards. I stood between them and the General as he whirled his blades again. 

“General,” Cody called over, nodding my position. I half turned to him as he tossed my true saber towards me. He followed the toss with a round of fire from his rifle towards the General, causing the cyborg to falter in his approach long enough for me to catch the blade, spinning the hilt as I turned back towards my opponent. 

I smiled, igniting the blade in my hand. Bringing both blades in front of me, I fell into Form Four stance, knowing I would need to be aggressive if I was going to manage to get everyone out of here. I had grossly underestimated the base upon our arrival, but I could still scavenge this mission if I played my cards correctly. I began to back up, hoping Grievous would see my movements as a retreat instead of a passive gesture. 

He fell for the bait, lunging towards me. With a kick I managed to use the force of his lunge to throw myself over him, slicing with both my blades through his first arm. The cyborg screamed with irritation, catching me before I could land with one of his arms. My breath left me in a huff as I flew backwards. Cody was by my side in an instant, helping me to my feet. Waxer and Boil were firing down the hall towards the General as we rose and the five of is took off down the hallway.

“Longshot,” Cody snapped into his link. “Pickup, now.”

“How bad is it,” the pilot laughed. 

‘Not now,” I snarled into my own line. 

“I have the intel,” Boil muttered to me. I smiled, shoving him forward. 

“You get on that ship as soon as its in sight,” I snapped. “Gregor, cover his back, we’re going to use backup seven.”

“Seven,” the Captain laughed. “That’s going to be messy.”

“I know,” I stopped dead in my tracks, allowing the four men to get ahead of me once again, knowing Gregor would make sure they all made it to Longshot in time. Grievous was still approaching as I watched, his long arms causing the lightsabers to catch along the floor and ceiling. It was a shame, such intricately crafted weapons were being abused. I vowed that my own would not join those he was using in an attempt to mimic the power of the Jedi who had fallen to him. 

I engaged with the General once again, watching as his three remaining blades flew towards me. I was pleased to note that he appeared uncoordinated in his approach. Obviously the blades were still relatively new to him. With this in mind, I decided to work towards disarming him. Literally. 

Using my shoto to block, I swiped with my orange blade towards his joints, removing a second arm. The droid growled at me as I worked, using a similar maneuver to remove a third arm. All things considered, this was too easy. It was like the man had never faced Jedi before. 

We were getting close to the doors and I needed a way to finish the battle and board the shuttle myself. With a grunt I attempted to take off the final arm, but Grievous was expecting me, catching my shoto with ease against his final lightsaber. I smiled, using my now free hand to throw the fore towards him, causing the cyborg to fly back towards the far wall. The wall crumbled around him, giving me enough time to use Force assisted speed to get outside to the hopefully still waiting ship. 

I took off running again, watching as the ship came into view. Gregor was hanging out of the side of the hull, causing me to smile. The men knew exactly what I needed. Launching forward I caught his forearm, allowing the man to pull me into the ship with a groan. 

For a moment we all sat in silence, the crew simply staring at one another. It was Boil who finally broke the silence. 

“I sent the blueprints to General Di,” he reported .I smiled widely. 

“Excellent, I must contact-”

“Kenobi is already on the line,” Longshot called back. I paused at this sensing what was to come. I turned to Cody with a small nod. 

"Come with me, Commander," I said softly. 'I'm sure he will want to speak to both if us. Cody nodded, gesturing towards the small cabin. As the door shut behind us I sighed, suddenly nervous about what was to come. Cody placed his hand on my shoulder. 

"It'll be alright," he offered. "That was no more reckless than the plans General Skywalker comes up with." I laughed at this, leaning my head against Cody's side for a moment before straightening up. 

“Master Kenobi,” I greeted as Cody powered up the holotable in the center of the hold. The General stood with his arms crossed, as though I was about to receive a lecture. I blinked twice at the man. 

“I hear that you caused quite a scene,” he began. I paused at this. 

‘Well-”

“Care to explain why backup seven was initiated in,” Obi Wan raised his eyebrow at me. I looked away for a moment, making eye contact with Cody. He mouthed his sorry towards me. 

“It seemed like the right choice in the moment,” I said simply, shrugging slightly.

“You thought having the men destroy the base if you didn’t reach them in five minutes was the right choice,” he asked. I nodded.

“Grievous was inside,” I said by way of explanation. “If I didn't succeed in killing him, I needed to make sure that-”

“This was meant to be a recon mission, we only needed the blueprints,” Obi Wan was all but yelling at me now. Beside me Cody stiffened, clearly nervous about just how angry Kenobi appeared to be. I knew better though, many Jedi masked their concern for others as irritation or even slight anger. Obi Wan had been worried about us and was simply trying to get the while story. 

“And we have them,” I snapped. “They have already been sent-”

“Be that as it may,” Obi Wan snapped. “You still failed to plan appropriately for the mission.”

“I had a plan,” I snapped. “It just wasn’t complete.” Obi Wan and Cody both groaned. 

“The council is calling for you to return to Coruscant,” the master said, softening his tone considerably. I nodded once. 

“Are they calling for my removal,” I asked, growing tense. This caused Obi Wan to pause. 

”What makes you think that,” he asked, eyeing me for a moment. “They simply want a direct report on the matter.”

“Master Krell informed me that a call to the council meant remo-” I stopped myself, realizing what Kenobi was telling me. The Master sighed. 

“You are not in trouble with the council,” he said simply. “Though you and I will be discussing having an actual plan moving forward.” I smiled at this. The hologram ended, prompting me to sigh with relief. Without thinking I turned to Cody, wrapping my arms around him in relief. 

The man paused at the affection, stiffening in my hold, before forcing his tension to relax and his own arms to wrap tightly around me. 

"General," he said softly. "Next time you make a plan-"

"You can make the plans, Commander," I said softly, still not letting go of him. "I messed up."

"You got the intel and all of us out of there,' Cody said, placing his hand on my shoulder, as he realized the embrace was not going to end. "In my book that is a success."

"There is no success until the true objective is complete," I repeated softly, remembering the last time I had failed a mission alongside my own squad. "Master-"

"With all due respect," Cody snapped, forcing me away from him. He held me at arms length, his hands pushing roughly against my shoulders. "You are not working with Krell anymore, his teachings have proven on multiple occasions to be incorrect. You need to realize that you are in charge now, not him." I nodded at this, realizing that Cody was right, I was a General now, I could make my own decisions about failure and the fates of my men. 


	11. Demands of the Force

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!!
> 
> Super long update sorry about that!
> 
> Please let me know what you think!

Receiving a call from the Temple was never a good thing. At least in my experience. Only once before in my time with the Jedi had I received a call to stand before the counsel. Luca and I had only just become Padawans at the time. 

Master Secura had taken me along with her on a mission to the Outer Rim. It had been a relatively routine mission, until we had been trapped in a landslide. Master Secura had watched me as I used an ability I had learned from Master Krell. HEr report had been what had sparked the call.

I would never forget standing before the counsel and explaining that my Master had taught me the maneuver, calling upon my repressed anger and fear to stop the onslaught of rubble. 

At the time, I had not yet realized my training was not particularly aligned with the Jedi teachings. I was still under the impression that I was being trained by one of the best Jedi in the Order. After that meeting was when I realized that my Master held many secrets, that I was being tasked with protecting, if I was to survive my apprenticeship.

The fact that my call had only told me that I needed to meet with the council was even more concerning. I feared that they would be questioning my strength in the Force and my unique abilities which had, in some regards, surpassed even my master’s. My recent accomplishments would not go unnoticed by the council for long. 

I did not know it yet, but I was drawing a great deal of attention to myself, as both a General and as a Knight. 

The majority of my unit returned to the Negotiator, leaving Cody, Longshot and I to travel to the temple. Cody claimed his presence was needed to check on some things planetside. I found his insistence odd, but did not argue. I found that I actually enjoyed his presence as we travelled, he mostly left me alone, allowing me time to think about the possible reasons I was being called to Coruscant. 

The journey was relatively short, only taking a single rotation. I meditated for the majority of the journey, reaching out to Luca to inform him of my call to the Temple. My brother and I often utilized the Force to pass messages to one another. Usually short updates about our location. There were very few Jedi whom I could connect with at such a level, the only others being Master Krell and, to a lesser extent, Master Secura. 

Maybe, they will make you a Master, my brother projected in response to my update. His insistence that I would achieve such greatness irritated me once again. He was naive. I decidedly ignored his response, hastily ending our connection before my negativity reached him. I shifted the focus of my meditation following the quick discussion. I found myself focusing inwardly towards a newer development in my own signature.

A band of light, nearly identical to the one I had been experiencing aboard the Negotiator had attached itself to me. Usually, my aura in the force was full of blues and greens, a very natural blend of colors and peaceful intentions. This new connection was much brighter than my usual presence, as bright as the probable source. Its long tendrils connecting me to something else, something still distant to me no matter how far I searched. 

It was infuriating but solid. I vowed to find the source of such strength as soon as I possibly could. A connection of this nature was rare and I would find its purpose. 

I was roused from my meditation by Cody. He stood in the door watching me as I slowly pulled myself back to the present. He was dressed in his dress uniform, the stark lines highlighting just how toned he was. 

“Commander,” I greeted, rising from my mat. Cody smiled, his eyes scrunching together slightly as he greeted me.

‘I have been told we are approaching Coruscant, General,” he smiled, watching as I attempted to straighten my robes around me. 

“So formal,” I chuckled. “Speak your mind, Cody, I sense you are troubled.”

“I would like to apologize for being so forward about your master, that was out of line-”

“There is no need, Cody,” I said, turning to face the man fully. “I am very aware of the shortcomings of the man, you are always welcome to tell me exactly what it is you’re thinking.” This caused Cody to pause, muttering softly under his breath. 

"-if only I could." 

“Come again,” I asked, missing what he said. 

“Nothing,” Cody plastered an innocent smile across his face. “I am just fascinated by you.”

“Well, “ I smiled, moving closer to the man. “Stick around, I’m sure you’ll figure me out eventually.” 

“Approaching, Platform 4,” Longshot called over the intercom. I pulled away from Cody, looking back over my shoulder towards the clearly baffled clone. 

“Come along, Commander, the council is waiting,” I smiled. Cody nodded once, coming to stand beside me as we docked. Waiting on the platform was Master Kit Fisto, his long tentacles moving slightly in the wind. I bowed in greeting. I had always respected Fisto greatly, as his tutelage had taught me how to dual wield. His swordsmanship was something of legend.

“Hello, Master Fisto,” I greeted The man, smiling widely, clearly pleased to see me. Beside me, Cody fell to attention. “I bring with me my Commander, Cody this is Jedi Master Kit Fisto.” 

“General," Cody greeted the man, who turned his smile towards the clone. 

“I have heard great things about your partnership,” the Jedi offered, turning slightly to begin walking towards the council chambers. “Obi Wan tells me you are doing well in your new role.” 

“He is too kind,” I said, matching the tone of the conversation. I could sense no deception in the Jedi before me. He genuinely appeared pleased to see me. 

“Commander,” I turned back to Cody who had fallen into step behind us. “I will return following this meeting, you are free to explore the grounds.”

“I will send for a Youngling to show you the way,” Master Fisto added, waving his hand towards a passing group. 

“Ah, thank you Generals,” Cody appeared less than pleased by this. I gave him a look over my shoulder, smiling in apology. I followed Fisto through the winding halls of the Temple, pausing only for a moment before the council admitted us into the chambers.

‘Ah, just on time,” Obi Wan smiled widely from his chair. “I do hope the journey from Hoth was not too taxing.”

“No more strenuous than our return from Umbara,” I smiled, turning to greet the other Masters. Nearly all of them eyed me cooly, as though they were judging me. 

“I sense great change in you,” Master Windu said, his tone measured. “A connection within the force.”

“Sense it, I do as well,” the Grand Master responded, eyeing me. “Explore this, you must.”

“Yes, Master,” I nodded, folding my arms in front of me, as I had been Obi Wan do on countless occasions. “I have sensed the change as well. I have begun meditating upon the matter.” 

“DId Master Kenobi inform you of the reason for this meeting,” Master Windu returned to business. I shook my head.

“He told me the council wished to discuss my recent mission to Hoth,” I shrugged. “I am aware that that mission was a failure in the-”

“Your squadron, the Firestorm Squadron I believe you are calling them, did exemplary work on Hoth,” Ki Adi Mundi interrupted me, pulling my attention away from the scowl of Master Windu. “Though you should have put more effort into the actual planning of the mission.”

‘Yes, it was in my ignorance that I failed to come up with a plan aside from running into the building,” I bowed my head. "In the future, I will be actually thinking through the mission before I am standing on the roof." 

“A blunder which can be forgiven given your recent appointment to the 212th,” Kenobi responded. I nodded once, accepting his words. 

“While your lack of focus is a concern, we have called you here to discuss two matters today,” Windu stated, leaning forward in his chair. I tilted my head for a moment, before catching myself.

“As you are likely aware, it is the duty of the Jedi to pass their knowledge of the Force onto the next generation of knights,”Obi Wan was smiling at me. I simply nodded, dreading where this conversation was going.

“It is an honor to teach,” Plo Koon added from his chair.

“There is a youngling with immense strength in the Force-” Windu began. I shook my head.

“I’m sorry Masters, I am at your service, but I have only been a Knight for months, I am not ready to take on a Padawan-”

“This Youngling is not ready yet to be assigned a Master,” Obi Wan assured me. “It would not be for some time.”

“Why me,” I asked, turning to face the Masters. “Is it not tradition for Jedi to choose their own apprentice?”

“Tradition,” Yoda scoffed. 

“We have reason to believe that of the available knights, you are the most qualified to teach this particular individual,” Windu continued. I narrowed my eyes at this. Something was off.

“Why is that,” I asked.

“The young man is particularly attuned to the Dark Side of the Force,” Obi Wan interrupted. “As the records indicate you once were.”

“Not by choice,” I responded, turning an accusational glare towards the man. "I cannot help that I was born with an inclination. One I have fought on multiple instances." 

“You overcame the draw to the darkness,” Windu snapped, forcing me to turn back to him. “Help this young man do the same.”

“I will need time to reflect upon this,” I responded. “I will also need the Youngling’s name if I am to consider this.”

“The information will be provided to you upon your return to the Negotiator,” Obi Wan responded. "I will be accompanying you and Commander Cody back later today." I nodded in understanding, recognizing I would be discussing this matter in detail with Obi Wan. 

"What is the second matter you wish to discuss with me,”I asked, turning once again to Master Windu. 

“There have been murmurs of a darkness within our ranks,” Windu’s voice was softer now. “We have reason to believe that one of our own may have begun utilizing the Dark Side.”

“What does this have to do with me,” I asked, raising my brow slightly. “I am not an expert on the Dark Side. I only utilised it without knowledge as to what I was doing.” 

“We are not asking you to seek out the identity of this individual,” Windu snapped, clearly irritated with me. “We simply want to ensure that you understand that we are determining the origins of such a rumor to the extent that we can afford.”

“I fail to see what this has to do with me,” I responded. “You can ask Master Kenobi, I have been nothing but true to the Light.”

“It is not you we are concerned with,” Windu responded. “Rather we are interested in your brother, Luca.” I laughed at this, doubling over slightly at the absurdity of the statement.

“It is more likely that Master Krell is secretly training to become a Sith Lord than my brother,” I chuckled. “The man can barely keep track of his lightsabers.” 

“Your familiarity, an asset it is,” Yoda interrupted. “Simply check on him, you must.” I nodded. 

“I can assure you that Luca is not the traitor you are looking for, but I will do what I can to investigate.”

“In the Force, you must trust,” Yoda responded. I nodded once. 

“I will report back about this matter shortly,” I responded, turning on my heel. “Thank you, Masters.” 

“I sense great conflict in her,” I heard one master mutter as I left. 

“I sense great potential,” another countered. 

“Where there is potential there is always conflict,” Obi Wan’s wise voice followed me into the hall. Without thinking, I stalked through the familiar hallways, my feet carrying me to my favorite place. 

The Great Tree had always brought me immense comfort. I found myself drawn to her branches as if the Force itself was calling to me. As I always did, I sat beneath her branches and began meditating. I focused upon the presence I had been experiencing, the tree providing me guidance towards the ever approaching source. 

“General,” Cody called over, jogging across the grounds to stand above me. I opened one eye, smiling slightly as he dropped down beside me. I was disappointed at the interruption, the presence had been nearly on top of me when Cody had interrupted my concentration. 

“Commander, didn’t miss me too much now did you,” I smiled. Cody laughed, leaning back against his arms. He looked up through the tree’s branches, smiling softly. A warm glow appeared to emanate from him, as though he was humming with the kindness of the universe. The thought made me smile.

“General Kenobi found me, he said you were likely upset.” I nodded once, before sighing

‘The council asks too much,” I said softly. “They fail to see that there are other factors at play in their games.”

“It is not my place to question the Jedi,” Cody said softly. I laughed at this.

“Cody, a good soldier should always question his mandates,” I said softly. “We are not droids, we all make mistakes, including the Jedi.” 

“General-”

“They want me to take a Padawan,” I sighed. “They are asking me to change a young boys fate.”

“Is that a bad thing,’ Cody asked. “From what I gather a Padawan is a sign of great success within the order.”

“I don’t know,” I said softly. “I do not want one.” 

“Then say no,” Cody shrugged. 

“If only it was that simple,” I chuckled. Suddenly, the warm presence was back, blinding me. Without thinking, I reached into the Force, grasping at the presence. I began chasing after it, racing blindly through the Force towards the glow. Beside me Cody stiffened, his eyes wide.

“Wha-” he started. Without thinking, I reached out and placed my hand on his cheek, in an attempt to soothe him. The presence intensified, the invisible cord tethering my signature to the other suddenly began wrapping around me. I gasped. Cody grunted beside me, his hand coming to rest upon my own. 

Together the blues and greens of myself and the golden hues began to bind together, becoming one in the same. It was peaceful. A single signature in the Force, distinguished only by the fact one member could see it clearly, and the other could only feel its influence. 

Cody was my guiding light. He had been since the very beginning. He appeared to understand something elemental had changed between us, as he shifted slightly, pulling me protectively to his side as I slipped from the trance. 

"The presence," I gasped. Cody nodded. 

"I was wondering when you would figure it out," he laughed. "You only ever experience it when I'm sitting nearby after all." I laughed at this. Cody turned to face me, his eyes shining with something I could not place. I placed my hand upon his cheek once again, aware that the tree blocked us from view of the temple. 

Cody leaned into my touch for a moment, before bending his head close to my own, his lips barely brushing against my own.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the update lag this week, I got sucked into Narcos and cannot seem to find the attention span to write! Come Monday things should be back to normal :)
> 
> As always I would love to hear thoughts on this chapter, the comments and kudos on this work 9and all of my works) never fail to make my day :)

Waiting for Obi Wan to finish with the council turned out to be a trial of patience. Cody and I spent hours under the tree, softly discussing my meetings and the immediate consequences of what had occurred between us. 

A bond created through the Force was a rare thing. Something which rarely occurred even between trained Force users, let alone with someone who had very little in the way of connection to the Force. Cody was far from a Force user, just as his brothers were. It should have been impossible for such a bond to exist, let alone one as strong as the one we had just forged. 

With the Great Tree looming overhead, it was easy to forget that we were inside of the Jedi Temple. It was as if the world around us had simply stopped and we were the only people left in the world, our hushed tones getting lost in the winds protecting us. So intently focused on the events of the day were we, that we failed to recognize the sun setting in the distance or the silence that fell over the grounds as the Jedi retired for the night. 

“So, the Force connected us,” Cody asked, raising his eyebrow at me. I nodded once, pleased that he was accepting the occurrence without argument. 

“It’s rare, but it usually happens when two people are going to need one another, think of it as the universe telling you that this person is your balance and that together you will likely do something important.”

“So, what are we going to do,” Cody asked, eyeing me. “And why now?”

“I have no idea,” I admitted. “Though if I had to guess the timing has to do with the fact that we are on sacred ground or because the events that we will face have been set in motion-” I trailed off for a moment contemplating my words. Only time would tell which of my guesses were correct. 

“Should we tell General-’

“No,” I snapped, suddenly panicking. “We cannot tell anyone.” Cody paused at this, clearly thrown off by my sharp tone.

“Queenie-”

“If we tell Kenobi then we will both be questioned by the council,” I explained ,hastily, my words stumbling together. “It would not end well for either of us.”

“How so?”

“I would likely be expelled from the order, or at the least reassigned,” I explained. “The council frowns upon attachments and there is no attachment more profound than one dictated by the Force. They see these things as dangerous.”

“General, with all due respect-”

‘Commander, I am not debating this with you,” I snapped. “Let me figure out the basis of this first and if I cannot then we can bring it to the attention of the Council.”

“Fine,” Cody snapped, clearly irritated by my bringing our ranks into the conversation. “I do think General Kenobi-”

“What about me,” Obi Wan appeared in front of us, his arms crossed. I sighed, rising to my feet quickly.

“We were just wondering where you were, since we cannot leave until you finish,” I responded quickly. Beside me Cody nodded stiffly. Obi Wan paused as Cody and I came to stand beside one another, his eyes narrowing slightly. I began to panic for a moment, remembering that many Jedi had the ability to see auras in the Force. Frantically, I scrambled through my knowledge of his abilities, suddenly thankful that Master Krell had expected me to be aware of the different master’s talents and specialities. 

After the heavy pause, Kenobi simply nodded, his brow furrowed, as though he was contemplating something. Unconsciously, his hand traveled to his beard. He stepped aside slightly to allow us to pass. Together the three of us exited the gardens, moving back towards the Temple.

“Have you considered the council’s offer,” Obi Wan asked me as we walked. Pointedly, we did not travel directly through the halls of the Jedi, instead taking the long way around the gardens. I did not think much of it, having missed the comfort and beauty of the grounds since my departure to join the 212th. I nodded in affirmation, reaching to touch one of the blooming flowers beside our path. 

“I do not wish to take the Padawan,” I responded. Obi Wan sighed at this, clearly expecting such an answer, but disappointed nonetheless. I trailed my hand across the flowers as we continued, feeling the unique presence of eacha s we went. Cody walked slowly behind us, his eyes slightly glazed over, as though he was experiencing something new. I made note to question him about it later. 

“It is-”

“-a great honor to teach,” I finished the sentence for him, causing the Commander to laugh, momentarily snapping him back to the present. “I know it’s an honor, but it is one I do not wish to have.”

“It is your duty,” Obi Wan responded, his tone measured, as though he had had this very same conversation recently. “You expressed interest in taking a Padawan-”

“That was before I was asked to join the war effort,’ I responded, matching his tone. Instinctively my arms came to cross in front of me. Cody mirrored my position, once again looking dazed. 

“You are no longer a Padawan-”

“Master Kenobi, this is hardly the place to scold me,” I snapped before catching myself. “You may be a Master Jedi, but we are with our shared Commander who sees me as a higher up-”

“Cody, do you see me reminding the General of her responsibilities as a disrespect to her military authority?”

“No, sir,” Cody responded, snapping his head to face Obi Wan. The Master paused at Cody’s tone, as though he was surprised with how quickly Cody responded. Obi Wan sighed, turning back to me with a small smile playing at the edges of his mouth. Beside me, Cody shifted slightly, slipping his helmet over his head as we exited the Temple grounds. 

“Whose side are you on,” I snapped, whipping around to face Cody. Through our new bond I could sense he was amused, though his helmet hid the crooked smile from me. I glared into the visor for a moment, my steps never faltering as we worked our way towards the platforms. 

“I don’t take sides, General, I am only stating facts,” he responded. I rolled my eyes. Obi Wan nodded his approval.

“ A smart man,” he laughed, walking towards Longshot’s waiting shuttle. “The Kaminoans trained you in the art of handling a -.” I glared at the Jedi, displeased with where I sensed his joke was headed.

‘Are you insinuating-”

“I am just saying that the Commander is skilled in diplomacy,” Obi Wan hastily corrected himself. “ A talent you should learn from him.” I scowled, but nodded in understanding.

“I am going to check with Longshot,” Cody informed us, already walking towards the waiting pilot. I allowed my eyes to trail after him for a moment, watching as he reached the waiting man.

“I am going to assist the Commander-”

“Oh no, we are not done with this conversation,” Obi wan touched my arm gently as I attempted to follow Cody. I sighed, turning back to the man. His face had softened considerably as he looked at me, his wise eyes telling me he knew something had changed. 

“Obi Wan, I am not ready for a Padawan,” I said softly. “I am still learning my place in the order.”

“Did you know that I received my Padawan the same day my Master died,” Obi Wan asked, turning to face me fully. “Or that I had yet to take the trials myself when Anakin became my responsibility?”

“Yes,” I groaned. “If I recall correctly you also defeated a Sith the same day. Not exactly a fair comparison.”

“You did level an entire garrison of droids,” Cody reminded me, rejoining us. I glared at him again, stomping my foot in frustration. Both men paused at this, clearly surprised at the visible sign of frustration. 

“Any updates, Commander,” Obi Wan asked with a chuckle. Cody nodded. 

“We are cleared to leave for the Negotiator,” he responded. Beside me, Obi Wan nodded. 

“We will join you aboard momentarily,” he dismissed Cody. The Commander paused at this, looking rapidly between Obi Wan and myself, I nodded slightly, silently telling him to leave us. If Obi Wan wanted to speak to me privately I would handle it. I sighed, as Cody walked away from us. 

“Is there anything you wish to tell me,” Obi Wan asked, coming to stand between me and the waiting shuttle. 

“No,” I said quickly. “I am still considering the other proposition of the council.”

“That is not what I am referring to,” the Master Jedi sighed. “I sense a change in you.” 

“Just temple food,” I lied, eyeing the Jedi for a moment. “It wreaks havoc on me.”

“I will not argue with you on that point,” he laughed. “Though, I would pick a more convincing cover moving forward.”

“Oh,” I asked, raising my brow at this. Obi Wan nodded.

“It would do you well to remember that I trained Anakin, a much more skilled liar than you will ever be,” he laughed, obviously remembering how absurd the Chosen One could be. “He kept a great many secrets from me, as you are attempting to now.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I attempted to sound shocked. Kenobi simply smiled. 

“We should get moving,” he said, changing the subject rapidly. “It is unwise to keep the Commander so close to the council when his attachments are so plain to see.”


	13. Commander Clover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> I do hope you enjoy this one, I want to preface this with the fact that I just really really wanted Cody to have a pet... AS with all of my writing this fic is completely self serving
> 
> As always please let me know what you think!

Obi Wan did not press the matter further, instead giving me space as we returned to the fleet. I chose to meditate once again, under the pretense of pondering the council's requests. Instead, I focused on the bond. I was worried that the intensity of such a change had hurt Cody in some manner. After some time, the Commander came to sit beside me, his glazed eyes sharing nothing with me. 

The moment we arrived on the Negotiator, I grabbed Cody’s arm, dragging him away from Obi Wan. Throughout our journey together, he had appeared dazed, his eyes consistently glazed over. I was scared for him, knowing just how damaging too much interaction with the Force could be. Especially for someone who had not been trained to channel such intensity. 

“What’s happening,” I asked, dragging the man away from the crowded hangar. Together, we walked into the war room, the heavy door slamming behind us. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Things are different,” he said softly, his eyes turning to slight panic. I nodded, sensing that Cody was slowly beginning to return to himself. “Why is everything so-”

“The world has more color now,” I said softly, realizing what was happening. “You feel like the world is overwhelming.” 

“Yes,” Cody sighed, looking over his shoulder. He appeared frantic, scared even. It was odd seeing the close appear so thrown off. "It’s vivid.”

“It’s the bond,” I said softly, smiling as I realized he was beginning to see things the way I did every day. “It’s all very complex, but basically the bond is allowing you to see the very surface of the way things exist in the Force-”

“I would like it to stop,” the Commander snapped, looking like he was going to be sick. “It’s overwhelming.” I nodded. 

"Trust me, I understand that,” I sighed. “I’ve had that for my entire life, it is exhausting. The Force is closing to share some of my abilities with you, in. weakened sense. I can teach you some ways to push it from your mind.”

“Turn it off,” he demanded, crossing his arms across his chest. “It’s ruining my focus.”

“Cody, it does not work like that,” I said quickly. “You can manage it and you will get used to it after some time.” 

“Are you sure,” he asked,looking anxious. “If I lose focus like this during battle-”

“Cody I will not allow you to fail,” I said softly. Gently, I took his hand in my own, as my Master had done for me the first time the intensity had overtaken me. “You just need to find a conduit for it.”

“What do you do,” he snapped, clearly irritated with the entire situation I sighed. 

“Every Jedi-”

“I am no Jedi,” he snapped. 

“As I was saying,” I glared. Cody was the type of man who felt the need to always be in control, which simply would not work for me in a situation like the one we found ourselves in. “Every Jedi who experiences a profound connection, such as the one you are experiencing, chooses something that allows them peace.”

“Oh,” Cody said softly. 

“Personally, I meditate,” I explained. “My brother Luca reads.”

“No offense,” Cody rolled his eyes. “I am a bit busy-”

“Some, use more physical means,” I said, interrupting him, growing irate with the man. “You really should listen to me more.”

“You talk too much,” he snapped. I glared.

“If you don’t want my help then you can just say it.”

“Please help me,” he sighed, looking defeated. I nodded.

“After the next mission,” I promised. Cody nodded, pausing for a moment before approaching me again, his hand ghosting up my arm for a moment. I still held his other hand in my own, noting that he appeared to be relaxing under my touch, as I had intended. I found myself leaning unconsciously into his touch, my nerves blazing each place his gloved fingers passed over. Without thinking I leaned in closer, my own free hand coming to touch his side. 

“We should really talk about-” I started before Cody abruptly pressed his lips to my own again, effectively cutting me off. Instinctively, I pressed further against him, fighting for dominance as his strong arms wrapped around me. Our dance continued for a moment, both of us getting lost in the feedback loop of our bond as we kissed.

Cody was the first to pull away, his breath coming in short pants. I smiled slightly, realizing that we had both wanted that. I leaned in again, sensing rather than seeing Cody do the same.

“General,” Gregor shouted into the room. “We have been called to assist your brother.”

“Thank you,” I responded, taking a small step back from Cody. “I will be to the Bridge momentarily.”

“There is no need, General Kenobi has already initiated the jump,” the clone responded, his footsteps telling me that he was already returning to work. The jump would likely be short, my memory of my brother's assignment telling me that he was stationed relatively closely to Coruscant.

“General," Cody said softly, pulling me back to myself. 

“Yes, Commander,” I asked, forcing myself to return to professionalism.

“Should we talk about-”

“It’s best to leave it unspoken for the time being,” I said shortly, already questioning myself. “Let’s get your newfound sight under control before we further complicate matters.”

“Yes, General,” Cody said stiffly. For a moment, I wondered if I had hurt him. I forced myself to push the thought from my mind. A Jedi could not afford attachments. 

The jump was rather short, only taking a standard hour for us to join the Star Corps in their mission. However, by the time we managed to reach the surface Luca and his men had managed to capture the capital. I did not get the chance to see him, instead joining the tanks in the trenches. I would have time later to catch up with him and use my abilities to check for any potential for treachery.

The thought was still ridiculous to me. 

As I worked, I pondered ways in which I could help Cody. When I was a Youngling, I had struggled greatly with the sheer power of the world around me. Unlike some, I was able to see very deeply within the Force. I had once described it to my brother as seeing the physical nature of everything but also seeing the very essence of what it was. The two were never perfectly aligned, many having secrets which pushed them towards darker paths. 

Out of respect, I had learned to control the ability, especially around other Jedi. It felt wrong to invade such powerful beings by looking at the very essence of their beings. 

It had been this skill which had convinced Master Krell to take me as a Padawan. My natural ability to sense intention had been a great asset to him. He had even taught me how to modulate the response and force my mind to focus solely on the physical. 

I needed to help Cody find a similar conduit.

No sooner had I thought of it then I heard the man calling for me. Walking towards him, I noticed a small grey and white animal clutched in his arms. Its long ears were pressed tightly to its back, as though it was scared

“What is that,” I asked, rasing an eyebrow at the Commander. He glared at me for a moment as though it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

“Clover,” he said simply, gripping the animal to his chest. “She’s coming with us.”


	14. Tower Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> Here's another update for you all, just a little but of fun before we go back to the seriousness that is my writing
> 
> As always please let me know your thoughts

As the Generals assembled in the tower to discuss the next steps for the planet, I sensed something dangerous on the horizon. I pushed it from my mind as Master Secura and Kenobi followed me into the command space, both clearly thinking ahead to the inevitable retaliation we were facing.

“They will likely come from the west,” Obi Wan said softly to the General. The woman simply nodded.

“I have already sent my Commander along with a unit to secure that sector,” Secura responded. Luca came to stand behind her nodding.

“Commander Bly said that he and Eir will be joining us here shortly,” he smiled widely. I nodded at this, already trying to figure out a way to be out of this tower and back with Cody. I found that as we were distanced from one another I was growing more anxious, feeling as though I was missing an important part of the equation. Luca appeared to sense my irritation and shot me a questioning look, attempting to peer into my mind to see what was bothering me during such a routine part of life in the Jedi Order. Discreetly I shook my head, not wanting him to sense the changes within me.

“We should fortify the east as well,” I added to the conversation, pushing my brother from my mind. “I can take a small unit of men-”

“No,” Obi Wan interrupted me. “You are not going on any more of your adventures today.”

“Excuse me,” I asked, raising my eyebrow at this. “I was simply suggesting that-”

“Firestorm Squadron is grounded until you learn proper planning,” Obi Wan laughed. “Besides being a General is more than simply fighting, we must set up command.”

“Yes, Master Kenobi,” I responded, immensely disappointed. Luca chucked from the corner. 

“Grounded,” he mouthed at me, prompting me to stick out my tongue at my brother. Old habits die hard. 

“Commander Luca,” Obi Wan turned to my brother with a small smile. “You can inform my Commander and the rest of Firestorm and Ghost Company to sweep to the east.”

“Consider it done,” Luca laughed, already walking towards the terminal to make the call. He tripped as he went, as was to be expected with my lanky brother. With a sigh I turned to the maps and began going over them with the other Generals. 

After a moment Luca cleared his throat.

“Master, there appears to be an issue with communications,” he shouted over, sounding nervous. No sooner had the three of us turned from the table than the large window overlooking the base imploded at us, giving way to more battle droids than I could count. Around me the generals both ignited their lightsabers. Luca and I followed suit quickly, the four of us gathering together as the droids approached. 

“Drop your weapons,” the battle droid closest to us intoned. I rolled my eyes.

‘Now when has that ever worked,” I laughed. Luca elbowed me hard in my side, his twin sabers coming dangerously close to my side. Without another word, the four of us launched into action, throwing ourselves at the droids 

So caught up in the first wave of droids, we failed to notice the arrival of the Commando droids, until they were upon us. I groaned as the first one reached me, jumping back in an attempt to stall for another moment of time. 

Across the room, I saw Luca whirling between droids, his purple sabers flashing across the way as though they were spinning free of his hands. After another moment’s observation I realized the freedom of movement was a direct result of him throwing them at droids.

Nearby Kenobi and Secura were slowly being backed into a wall, their blue sabers easily deflecting everything coming their way. I groaned, realizing I was the last Jedi fully free in movement. Thinking quickly, I threw my lightsaber in an arc, as I had seen so many masters do before, calling it back to my hand after it nearly halved the droids approaching me. 

I began to call on the Force once again, plowing through droids as quickly as I could manage. In my haste, I failed to notice that I too was being backed towards the wall, or rather the completely destroyed windows. Wheeling with my arms, I felt my body nearly toppled out of the opening, losing my lightsaber as I scrambled back from the near death experience. Slowly, I backed my way towards Kenobi and Secura, who had managed to pull Luca to them as well.

“We surrender,” Obi Wan said, his voice void of all emotion as he help up his hands in defeat. I followed his lead, holding my own hands up as well. 

“Where are the clones,” secura muttered out of the corner of her mouth. I shot her a look at this. Clearly they would be here if they knew what we were facing.

Then a thought hit me. 

Cody. I focused on the man, whose presence in the Force felt as though it was upon me. After a moment, I was standing beside him as he fed the small rabbit he had found some rations.

“Commander,” I greeted him through the Force. The man jumped, nearly shouting in surprise. 

“General,” he said softly. “Where are you?”

“Command has been overtaken,” I said by way of explanation. “We need you.”

“Gregor,” Cody shouted towards the Captain. “Droids in the command center.”

Suddenly, I was snapped back to the tower, Master Secura had her hands under my arms,

‘What happened,” she muttered to me as Obi Wan moved to stand slightly between me and the approaching droids. 

“The clones are coming,” I said softly. “I got the message to the,.”

“Well, that’s something we will be discussing later,” Obi Wan snapped over his shoulder at us. I nodded, scrambling to my feet as the clones finally reached us. 

At that exact moments the doors to the center crashed open, Commanders Bly and Cody at the front of the pack, blasting their way into the room. Around me the Jedi jumped into action, their sabers reigniting as they helped the clones push the waves of droids from our space. I sighed, realizing that I was without my weapon. 

Without thinking, I lunged forward, using the force to punch the head off of the nearest droid. Cody was at my side in an instant laughing as he used the barrel of his rifle to back another droid across it’s head. As we fought side by side, I noticed that Cody was exceptionally brutal in his fighting style.

In particular, he appeared to favor disorienting the roids before slamming his elbow into the faceplate of the droids with as much force as he could manage. 

It was attractive.

Pushing the thought from my mind, I threw another droid across the room, with a huff. The rest of the remaining enemies appeared to notice the tides had turned, turning and running out of the hall they had come from without so much as a backwards glance.

“Bly, Eir, with me,” Secure shouted as she took off after them, leaving Luca behind with Obi Wan and I as she chased after the final droids. 

“You dropped this again,” Cody said, touching my arm slightly, I turned, noticing my lightsaber in his hand once again.

“Would have been useful a few minutes ago,” I laughed, holding my hand out expectantly. Cody shook his head, as the small menace he had picked up earlier entered the room. The thing slamming its foot down on me as it passed.

“Figured you wouldn’t drop it so much if you realized just how much you needed it,” Cody shrugged, handing over my weapon before reaching down and lifting the animal. Through our bond, I could sense his immediate comfort at the action. I sighed, realizing Cody had found his means of coping with our newfound bond.

“I’ll get even with you for that, Commander,” I snapped, smiling to let Cody know I was not actually upset. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my brother approaching, his contagious smile spreading across his face. 

“Oh,” Luca interrupted us, looking swiftly between Cody and I, before his eyes stopped on Cody. “You, sir, are completely screwed.” 

“Excuse me,” Cody asked, turning to face my brother. Luca laughed, before he looked over his shoulder at Obi Wan who was busy talking with Gregor and the others.

“Bonding with my sister,” he laughed. Cody and I exchanged frantic glances Our secret was spreading far too fast for either of our comfort. 

“There-”

“No worries,” Luca shrugged. “I’m not going to say anything to them. However, Commander, you should’ve run when you had the chance.”


	15. Projection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all sorry for the delay on this one! I was attempting to finish up my other fic the Civvie and put progress on all other works on pause! That being said: Check out my newest work the Marshal Commanders! 
> 
> As always please let me know your thoughts and I look forward to hearing your thoughts moving forward!

The rest of the campaign was rather boring. I watched my brother closely as we worked our way towards the Capital, noticing nothing out of the ordinary about him or his abilities. From our childhood, Luca had always been more closely aligned with the light side of the force than I. When our abilities had begun to manifest, he had been a natural healer. From what I could sense of him, he was still very much a beacon of light. I decided I would work on the Council’s mandate to keep an eye on him at a later point. I found the entire situation absurd, Luca was the furthest thing from a Sith, the light of his presence in the Force was nauseating. 

I did have my suspicious about who could possibly be the dark presence, knowing that there were many individuals in the Order who lacked the natural kindness of my brother. 

As we retreated from the planet, Luca and I walked towards the Negotiator, taking the rare moment that we were together to catch up and talk freely about our lives. He had finally mastered dual wielding, for the most part, and had begun working towards ship mastery. I cringed thinking about the chaos my brother behind the wheel of a ship would look like. 

“Any word on when you will undertake the trials,” I asked my brother as we walked. Luca laughed.

“Master Secura seems to think I still need more time,” he smiled widely. “Not that I mind, she thinks undertaking the trials during a war would be detrimental to my training.”

“If only my Master had thought the same,” I laughed. 

“Krell did nothing for you,” Luca snapped. My Master was a sore spot for us,as Luca had hated the man from the moment he had chosen me as a Padawan. Luca felt that Krell had used me for his own selfish gain, only taking me because I was the last step towards him achieving the rank of Master. “Even Master Secura told him it was a bad idea. You were far too young to undertake such a heavy task”

“I passed them did I not,” I snapped suddenly feeling attacked. “Master Krell believed me to be ready-”

"He was bored training you," Luca argued. "You said it yourself-"

“General,” Cody shouted from the Negotiator. “You have an incoming transmission.”

“From?”

“General Krell,” he said, clearly suspicious of the call. 

“Take a message for me, Commander,” I responded, not wishing to handle it myself. Cody nodded once. 

“He has never respected you,” Luca snapped back at me, resuming our conversation. “He did not even give you a chance to learn to control your abilities-"

“Luca, my training is none of your concern,” I snarled. “Master Krell did what he felt was necessary-”

“He did not allow you a comm link,” Luca snapped. “I did not hear from you for four years.” 

“I-”

“You cannot defend him to me,” Luca snapped. “He was cruel to you and honestly unfit-”

“Enough,” I snapped, momentarily losing control of myself. Immediately, my Force projection took hold, throwing Luca and I back into my memories. Looking around myself, I felt the panic begin to sink in as I recognized Master Krell's personal training room back on Coruscant. I was back in the Jedi Temple, standing at attention on the training mats I had hit so many times throughout my life. My Master had never gone easy on me, or held back any of his raw power when we sparred, forcing me to grow comfortable pulling myself back to my feet. Master Krell stood before me, his enormous form dwarfing me as he shouted at me. I remembered this moment vividly. 

It was the moment my Master learned that I had told Master Secura and Luca of my struggles under his teachings. Krell held my comm link in his hand as he yelled at me, his yellow eyes bulging as he backed me into the corner. 

“You will never be a Jedi,” he snarled, as my lip began to quiver. The specter of my Master laughed as the tears began welling. In my memory, I remembered the echo of his taunting laugh as it tore through me. Krell crushed the link in his hand before handing me back the broken pieces, still laughing as I looked down in horror at the gift I had only just received for my thirteenth birthday.

“Pack your belongings,” he snarled, his voice dangerously low. “We are leaving the Temple before nightfall, you will not be returning until you are ready to stand the trials.”

Knowing exactly what came next, I forced myself to fall into a mediation, pushing Luca as far from me as I could in my mind. He did not need to see the rest of the events of such a horrible day. Luca and I were thrown out of the projection roughly., as I fell to my knees with a huff. I did not look at my brother as I caught my breath for a moment. Beside me Luca stood in stunned silence. 

“That’s what-”

“I have to go,” I snapped. Luca grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet. His grip was rough as he pulled me closer to him, his eyes, identical to my own shining in fury.

“You need to-”

“I do not need to do anything,” I snapped, pulling roughly against his grasp. Luca did not budge. From the Negotiator I heard a small commotion. Both my brother and I turned to see Cody jogging towards us. 

“Are you alright, General,” he asked, coming to stand beside me. Taking in the moment, I noticed his gaze hardened towards Luca, who still held my arm tightly. The Padawan did not relax his grip under the glare of the Commander. 

“Of course,” I said quickly. Cody’s glare worsened as Luca held onto me. 

“You are needed on the Bridge, now,” Cody said, his tone gruff. Through our bond I sensed that he believed Luca had caused my fear and irritation, causing the clearly protective clone to be wary of the only family I had. Luca stiffened beside me, finally dropping my arm. Cody immediately moved to stand between the two of us. My brother caught the gesture and glared between the two of us, clearly wishing to figure out what had changed between us. 

“Since I have both of you here,” Luca’s voice was low, clearly suspicious something was happening. “You two obviously are bonded through the Force-”

“Luca,” I sighed. “I have no answers for you.”

“Have you told the-”

“No,” I snapped. “What is with your obsession with telling the Council everything.” Luca glared at me.

“You are part of the Order-”

“Luca,” I snapped. “You are out of line. As a Padawan-”

“You are three years younger than me,” he snapped. "Get off your throne, princess, and think about your responsibilities for a moment. Have you considered the fact that you are bonded with a non-Force user? Or the fact your Master is a monster? What about the fact that you can barely control your abilities? You are meant to be a Jedi Knight but one argument and you threw both of us into your memories-”

“Who asked you,” I snarled, my shoulders tense. “I can handle these things without involving the Masters-”

“You are talented,” my brother conceded. “Though, your talents blind you to the fact that you are not yet a Master yourself.”

“The Masters seem to think I am capable,” I snapped. Luca raised his eyebrow at this, crossing his arms across his chest. “They have asked me to take a Padawan.” 

“Given how unstable-”

“I will be accepting the request immediately,” I snapped. 

“Queenie,” Cody interrupted us “Your brother may have a point-”

“Not you too,” I groaned. Both men shared a look, a silent conversation passing between them. 

“You should not take a Padawan just to prove that you’re better than me,” Luca said softly. “Look what Krell did to you, you don’t want to repeat history-” Without allowing him to finish, I turned on my heel, storming back towards the waiting destroyer.

“General,” Cody shouted after me. I did not slow down, sensing through our bond that Cody’s concern was growing. “General!”

“Please prepare the men for departure,” I snapped over my shoulder, stalking towards the Bridge. “General Kenobi was called to assist the 501st.” 

“Yes, General,” Cody responded, immediately initiating the chain of command. I sensed caution in him as he worked, clearly wanting to talk to me , but also knowing that his duty as Commander must come before his own wishes. For a moment I was grateful for his training, allowing me a moment to collect myself before his barrage of questions. After a moment he was at my side again, his bucket under his arm. “Can we talk?’

“Is it about the animal you snuck aboard my destroyer,” I asked. “A command ship is no place for a pet.” 

“Her name is Clover and you’re trying to distract from your own issues,” the Commander snapped at me. “What just happened-”

“Was wildly inappropriate,” I finished his sentence for him, crossing my arms across my chest. "As a Commander yourself, I am sure you realize that my brother was-"

“The Commander had a point,” Cody responded. “You and I both know it, I can tell that you-”

“You’re still learning what our bond means,” I snapped. “You have no idea how I feel.”

“It radiates off you with or without a bond,” Cody snapped. “You are being irrational.”

“You are overstepping,” I snapped. “If you are going to take a chapter out of my brother’s book I can recommend you to be reassigned to Star Corps.”

“You’re doing it again,” he snapped. “Queenie, talk to me.” 

“There is nothing to talk about,” I shrugged. Cody threw his head back in exasperation. 

“I just saw your memory you know,” Cody snapped. “You threw your memory so hard that I nearly fell over. It was like I was you, experiencing exactly how Krell made you feel-”

“Commander-”

“He scares you,” Cody continued, steamrolling me. “You feel helpless when he is around you, as though he still somehow has a control over you, even now.”

“Stop,” I said softly, feeling all of my defenses crumble. Through the Force I could feel Cody’s wish to comfort me. "This is not the place for such conversations."

“I cannot force you to tell anyone about what has happened in your life,” he said softly. “I cannot tell you not to take the Padawan, but I do think you should assess, everything before you start severing ties with-”

“Cody, part of my oath to the Jedi is that I do not have attachments,” I said softly. Cody laughed at this. 

“I think the ship has sailed on that one, so to speak,” he chuckled. His laugh broke something in me, causing me to begin to laugh. I was not amused, but rather I felt as though everything was crashing down on me. Suddenly the gravity of my situation hit me with the force of a Wampa.

“You’re right,” I laughed, feeling my eyes begin to water slightly. I could not seem to stop myself, as my laughter grew exponentially. Cody paused at this, clearly realizing I was not in my right mind.

“Follow me,” he muttered softly to me, placing his hand gently on my arm. “You can take some time in my quarters until you’re ready to talk.”


End file.
